


Thieves Like Us

by TiredOfTomorrow



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Crime, Detective, F/F, Gen, Heist, Murder, Mystery, Robbery, Romance, Violence, f/f - Freeform, gun - Freeform, partners
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:15:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 85,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22326949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiredOfTomorrow/pseuds/TiredOfTomorrow
Summary: Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna: Detectives. Heroes. Murderers.What starts off as a routine investigation quickly spirals into a game of survival as the two partners find themselves in over their heads in a criminal conspiracy. The two must navigate Vale's underworld if they want to survive - but first, they got to manage not to kill each other first. [Realistic Crime AU]
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 38
Kudos: 98





	1. Prologue: Case #2019-221

**Author's Note:**

> A/N - This whole fic is essentially a result of a shower thought that went too far lol. Essentially, I asked myself what a hard-boiled crime film would look like with RWBY characters, and after spending a good few weeks going back and forth about whether this was actually a good idea or not, this was the result.
> 
> Anyways, initial outline for this fic has it 20-ish chapters long, and my hope is I'll be able to update this weekly on Sunday. Hope y'all enjoy.
> 
> [Content Warning: Strong Language and Violence, Sexual Themes and some references to Abuse]
> 
> [A/N 5-29-20] - Added a spotify playlist with songs I was listening to while writing: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qEkSXu3Pg3dHBgL8l8EPL

**_Remnant Department of Investigations_ **

**_Criminal Investigation Unit_ **

**_Interview Transcript #4139: Det. Y. Xiao Long_ **

**_Interview Date: August 15, 2019_ **

**_Interview Of: Detective Yang Xiao Long_ **

**_Case #: 2019-221_ **

**_Interviewed By: Special Investigator Pyrrha Nikos, Special Investigator Jaune Arc_ **

_Pyrrha Nikos: It is presently 0950 hours on August 15, 2019. This is Special Investigator Pyrrha Nikos speaking along with Special Agent Jaune Arc. We are currently in interrogation room 05 at the Remnant Department of Investigations offices in Mountain Glenn, and we are interviewing Detective Yang Xiao Long of the Vale Kingdom Police Department for-_

_Yang Xiao Long: [Interruption] Hey._

_PN: [continuing] -for case 2019-221. It should be noted that Ms. Xiao Long has opted not to exercise her right to an attorney to-_

_YXL: [Interruption] Hey!_

_Jaune Arc: Ms. Xiao Long, we need you to be quiet for just a second, please?_

_YXL: No, I'm not going to be fuckin' quiet until you get these handcuffs off me like I've been asking for the last 20 minutes. I already told you, they're digging into my wrists._

_[Pause.]_

_PN: Uncuff her, Jaune._

_JA: But-_

_PN: It's okay. Do it._

_[At this time, SI Arc uncuffs Y. Xiao Long]_

_YXL: Thank you, damn._

_PN: As I was saying, Detective Xiao Long has chosen not to be represented by an attorney through an expressed desire to preserve the confidentiality of the details of this case. Ms. Xiao Long, is this correct?_

_YXL: Yeah._

_PN: And, just to inform you, this interview will be recorded with audio and video, and can and will be used as evidence in a court of law. Do you consent?_

_YXL: Not like I have a choice, do I?_

_JA: Yes or no, Ms. Xiao Long?_

_YXL: Yes. You, uh, wanna tell the cameras about our special deal too, so we have that on record?_

_PN: [Sigh] Under statute 553-23, this interview will be used as evidence of Ms. Xiao Long's cooperation with investigators with case 2019-221 and can be used to minimize the severity of charges raised against Ms. Xiao Long, provided that Ms. Xiao Long provides sufficient answers to our questions._

_YXL: Which you will most certainly fuckin' get._

_JA: Ms. Xiao Long, I'm gonna have to ask you to keep your profanity to a minimum, this is an official Remnant Department of Investigation interview-_

_YXL: Fuck you._

* * *

**_Remnant Department of Investigations_ **

**_Criminal Investigation Unit_ **

**_Interview Transcript #4139: Det. B. Belladonna_ **

**_Interview Date: August 16, 2019_ **

**_Interview Of: Detective Blake Belladonna_ **

**_Case #: 2019-221_ **

**_Interviewed By: Special Investigator Lie Ren, Special Investigator Nora Valkyrie_ **

_Lie Ren: This is Special Investigator Lie Ren with Special Investigator Nora Valkyrie-_

_Nora Valkyrie: [Interrupting] Hi!_

_LR: Nora, please._

_NV: [Faintly] Sorry._

_LR: *ahem*. We are currently at the RDI offices in downtown Vale, in the kingdom of Vale, interviewing Vale Kingdom Police Department Detective Blake Belladonna. Ms. Belladonna has opted not to have an attorney, and her interview will be used as case evidence for case 2019-221. Ms. Belladonna, do you understand the details of this interview?_

_Blake Belladonna: Yes._

_LR: Alright. Let's begin-_

_NV: [interrupting] So you why'd you do it? Huh? You two-faced little snake-_

_LR: Nora!_

_NV: Sorry, Ren. Just needed to get that out of my system. Go ahead with your questions._

_LR: Apologies for my partner. She gets carried away sometimes._

_BB: Apology accepted._

_LR: Now, Ms. Belladonna, you were born in Menagerie to Ghira and Kali Belladonna in 1996, and grew up in Mountain Glenn, is that correct?_

_BB: Yes._

_NV: Is that where you met that Adam Taurus fuck? Huh?_

_LR: Nora, are you going to have to wait outside?_

_NV: Only if you want me to, Ren [giggling]_

_LR: [sigh] Ms. Belladonna, we'll start with when you first met your partner, Detective Yang Xiao Long. Can you describe to me your first meeting with her?_

* * *

**Thieves Like Us**


	2. The Rest of My Life

It was 3:50 in the afternoon, and Yang knew she was going to be late. Late to the chief's office, late to dinner with Weiss after work. Late, late, late.

This wasn't the first time she's been late to something like this, and by now her fellow detectives understood that if you told Yang to meet you at a certain time, she wouldn't show up until 5-10 minutes after your designated time.

Yang's lateness wasn't because she was lazy or tardy, however. Yang just simply operated on her own time and schedule. She knew she was important and the work she was doing was important, and if someone couldn't spare her the precious 5-10 extra minutes, then they were simply just getting in the way of Yang's relentless pursuit of solving whatever case she was on.

Yang rounded the corner and approached Chief Ozpin's office. She was about to knock when she saw Ozpin peer up from his desk through the window, and then beckoned her to enter with his right hand. Seated across from Ozpin, Yang could see the back of a slender, tall figure with jet black, silky hair done in a ponytail and black cat ears standing straight up. Yang opened the door.

"Miss Xiao Long! Have a seat," Ozpin said.

"Oz," Yang said as a greeting to the commissioner before shaking Ozpin's hand. As she did so, Yang turned to get a better look of the black-haired woman.

The black-haired faunus turned her head towards Yang. The first thing Yang noticed was the woman's piercing golden eyes, followed by her sharp facial features. Yang flashed a smile to this mysterious new woman and outstretched her hand to shake.

"How do you do?" Yang offered as her greeting.

The woman, face still hard as stone, met Yang's hand with a firm grip and shook it.

"Hello," the black-haired woman said softly before turning her head to Ozpin again. Yang's smile quickly faded as she then took a seat next to the woman.

"Yang, this is Detective Blake Belladonna. She's your new partner," Ozpin said. "Blake had been working in the narcotics division before she accepted a transfer into our division, Robbery and Homicide. She previously worked in the Mountain Glenn offices prior to this, which is why you haven't seen much of her."

"Hm. Well, pleasure to meet you!" Yang cheerily said as she turned to Blake.

"Likewise," Blake replied coolly.

"Blake is going to take the desk across from you, she'll be moving in next morning," Ozpin said. "I trust that you'll be able to show her around the offices and get her caught up to speed about the cases you and her will be working?"

"Sure thing," Yang replied, "I'll be sure to do so first thing tomorrow. Now, uh, I gotta run, if you don't mind?"

Ozpin quickly checked his watch before turning back to Yang.

"I suppose it's already quitting time for the day, isn't it, detectives? Well, Blake, glad to have you join our division, and if you ever need any help, you know where my desk is at," Ozpin replied.

"Thank you, commissioner," Blake said before turning to Yang, "and I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise," Yang replied, flashing one last smile before leaving the room.

* * *

_Yang Xiao Long: You wanna know what I thought about Blake when I first met her?_

_Pyrrha Nikos: That's correct._

_YXL: I thought she was stuck up._

_Jaune Arc: That's it?_

_YXL: Well, no, there was more. To say she was intense would be an understatement. She had this...I don't know, energy I guess? She felt different, far different from any of the partners I ever had before. She could look at you and it felt like she was picking you apart piece by piece._

_JA: Did you notice anything suspicious about Detective Belladonna from the start?_

_YXL: No, I figured her whole "cool-hand-Luke" act was just a show to get me scared, to intimidate me. Little did I know, she was really that stone-cold, all the damn time._

* * *

_Blake Belladonna: I thought I knew exactly the type of cop I got saddled with when I first met Yang._

_Lie Ren: How so?_

_BB: Well, she came strolling in wearing some pastel white sports coat with a blue dress shirt, aviator glasses tucked neatly in the chest pocket. Plus, the long blonde hair, the pretty face, flashy and cheery demeanor...I thought she was some cop on reality TV._

_Nora Valkyrie: [Laughs] So, what, every good-looking detective is a TV cop to you?_

_BB: Everything in her appearance was ticking all the boxes of a typical cop, some adrenaline junkie who just wanted to be paid to shove guns in poor people's faces. But if there's one thing I learned in this line of work, it's that appearances are deceiving. And once I got to know Yang, deep down, I knew she wasn't some TV cop. She was the real deal._

* * *

It took about an hour for Yang to quickly change out of her work clothes and throw on a dress, then drive over to the restaurant to meet Weiss. Turns out, she was only 3 minutes late instead of 5 for her date with Weiss, which was a minor victory in Yang's case. Still, Yang could tell Weiss wasn't amused with the way Yang came darting into the restaurant, out of breath.

"Hey...Babe," Yang said between labored breaths as she sat down at Weiss's table.

If Yang had the air in her lungs to do so, she would've told Weiss she looked stunning tonight: Weiss had let her stark-white hair down, hanging like silky curtains around her shoulders. She was wearing a felt-black dress that hung from a strap tied around her neck. The only thing that bothered Yang was the frown and glare Weiss was currently shooting in her direction.

"Did you forget again?" Weiss asked flatly.

"No, of course not!" Yang gasped. "I got off work late again, I just got assigned a new partner and had to meet her."

Weiss rolled her eyes before a smirk grew on her face.

"This is like, what, the 5th time you used work as an excuse?" Weiss asked.

"Well, I'm here, princess, and that's what matters," Yang said, flashing Weiss a toothy grin. Weiss's cold demeanor completely melted into a warm smile.

"You are a hopeless fool, Xiao Long," Weiss said.

"Well, you're dating this hopeless fool, so what does that make you?" Yang replied. Weiss let a small chuckle in response. Not a second later, a waiter in a bowtie glided up to Yang and Blake's table.

"Good evening, madams," the waiter declared, "Welcome to _Ristorante di Viadotto_. Have you two dined here before?"

"Sure have," Yang replied.

" _Perfetto._ May I interest you two in something to drink?"

"I'll take a L'Americano cocktail," Weiss said. "And… let me guess. Strawberry Sunrise for you, Yang?"

"You know it," Yang said with a grin. "The small umbrellas too, if you have them."

"Absolutely. I'll be right back with your drinks," the waiter said before turning around.

* * *

_JA: You were dating Weiss Schnee? As in President Schnee's daughter, Weiss Schnee? The public defender?_

_YXL: Yeah. Well, it was just Councilman Schnee at the time, he was still campaigning for President._

_JA: How in the world did you get Weiss Schnee to date you in the first place?_

_YXL: I ask that myself every day. [laughs] The tabloids and political publications that Jacques Schnee has in his pocket will probably tell you some bullshit story about how we met at some fundraising community event for police, but I actually met her in a speakeasy south of Vale. This was a shady-ass speakeasy, mind you. Not some trendy bar in the Downtown district that yuppies like golden boy Arc here would go to after work. She stuck out like a sore thumb, and she was sitting alone at the bar. I figured I should do my civic duty as an officer and stick with her so she could get out of there in one piece. I was just going to buy her one drink, then send her on her way. Turns out, Weiss Schnee would be the one escorting me out, and next thing I knew, she was taking me to bed._

_JA: What was Weiss Schnee doing in a bar like that in the first place?_

_YXL: Trust me, there's a side to Weiss that you'd never know. She don't look it, but she's street-smart in her own rights._

* * *

"You know, I can talk to my sister if you don't like this new partner of yours," Weiss said, "see if she can get you a new one."

"No, no," Yang said. "Don't do that. Last thing your family needs is a case of nepotism while they're under the microscope."

"It's not nepotism, it's simply...optimizing the workplace!" Weiss replied cheerily. "Besides, like I give a damn about what happens to my family."

Yang took another stab out of her plate of calamari before returning to Weiss.

"Weiss, c'mon, don't say that," Yang said, while chewing. "You only get one family. You're lucky to have a family like yours. Don't push 'em away."

"Yeah, well, you've never met my father," Weiss snarkily replied.

"Well, with the amount of political ads he's been running on TV, I feel like I know him better than my own father at this point," Yang said. Weiss snickered as a response before quietly shaking her head.

"Everywhere I go, I can't escape him," Weiss griped. "I can't work a case without someone bringing up his name to me. I see him in the news all the time, spouting his bullshit vitriol about how he's going to push the Faunus out of Vale..."

Weiss sighed before shaking her head again.

"This campaign is tearing our family apart," Weiss softly said. "I can tell Mom is suffering. All the tabloids keep talking about her, picking her apart and painting her as the degenerate lush wife. Winter is tired, too. She just wants to do her damn job. And if Dad wins, Whitley's going to suffer too, he just doesn't know that yet. They're going to go after him the minute Dad takes office if he wins."

Weiss takes another sip of her cocktail, before gazing back up at Yang with big blue eyes.

"Our name is mud now, all because Dad wanted to chase the title of President of Remnant," Weiss said. "The Schnee name is going to be synonymous with fear and hatred for decades to come."

"No it won't, Weiss," Yang replied. "You and your sister are still fightin' the good fight, right? I mean, people got to know that. I see you on the ground every day, busting your ass on civil liberties cases left and right. You're fighting for the little guy, whether you know it or not."

Yang reached over and caressed Weiss's cheek with her right hand.

"Hey," Yang said, her lilac eyes locked onto Weiss's. "You're not your father. Don't forget that."

Weiss grabbed ahold of Yang's hand as she flashed Yang a brief smile before returning to her glum expression.

"My Dad'll come for you too, you know that right?" Weiss said. "As long as you're with me, he won't leave you alone."

"Let him come," Yang said, her eyes narrowing in anger. "I'll show him how we do it out here, on the streets-"

"Yang, I'm being serious," Weiss said. "This isn't just some problem you can beat the shit out of."

"I know, I know," Yang said, patting Weiss's hand. "Look, I love you, okay?"

"I love you too," Weiss whispered in return.

* * *

_LR: How long did you work with Yang after that, and what type of cases did you work?_

_BB: About 3, 4 months. We were working fairly routine cases to start off with. Mostly BE's in Vale's industrial district, a few liquor store robberies back in Mountain Glenn. We even had one or two homicide cases, but they were usually amateur, gang-related shootings with plenty of security cam evidence. All of them were open and shut cases, and we had the perps in custody less than 12 hours after the shooting._

_NV: So you two got to know each other before the Forever Fall Triple Homicide?_

_BB: Correct._

_NV: What can you tell us about that case?_

_BB: [Scoffs] Well, where do I begin?_


	3. 7.62

_YXL: [Laughs] 'Course you guys want to hear about the three guys who got dropped in Forever Fall. That's why we're all here to begin with, right?_

_JA: You're not wrong._

_YXL: Well...where do I start? It was September 5th last year, I think, at around 11 pm. Forever Fall Park Rangers got a triple 187 call somewhere down Palm Drive from passing motorists. Now, Forever Fall was a big forest preserve, very secluded, so if you were gonna expect some crazy shit like a triple homicide, it would be there. Even then, a triple homicide on the side of the road was like a massacre to the Park Ranger yokels, so naturally, they handed it off to the Vale Kingdom Police Department. Blake and I were gonna be working with the Organized Crime Unit on this one._

* * *

It was a long drive from the VKPD headquarters in downtown Vale to the Forever Fall Forest Preserve. Yang spent about an hour and a half sitting in the black Crown Victoria, waiting in morning rush hour traffic just to get on the exit that'll take her to Palm Drive, the long, winding road slicing through the middle of the forest preserve.

Yang peeled her eyes off the twisting, fog-covered road in front of her to peer over to Blake on her right, who was still napping. Ever since the two had set out from the VKPD headquarters, Blake had been fast asleep. It was a new sight for Yang, as she never had an opportunity to catch Blake sleeping on the job.

Yang then gently placed her hand on Blake's shoulder and softly shook her awake.

"Blake. Blake!" Yang cried out.

Blake shot straight up in her seat, her eyes wide open in surprise.

"Where are we?" Blake asked, rubbing her eyes.

"We're in Forever Fall, about 10 minutes out from the scene," Yang said. "What's happening, Belladonna? You okay? You get enough sleep last night?"

Blake shakes her head.

"I'm fine," Blake groaned as she moved her seat back to the upright position. "Well...not really, I didn't get sleep last night."

"Why not?" Yang asked. "You know, they got sleeping pills if you can't sleep-"

"Tried 'em. Didn't work," Blake curtly replied. Yang gave Blake one last curious look before turning back to the road.

"Well, you need to get some sleep somehow, Belladonna," Yang said. "Need you firing on all cylinders on this one."

Yang could tell they were getting close to the crime scene from the sinister red glow of the fog ahead, caused by road flares laid down by park rangers. Yang slowed the car down as they saw the flashing red and blue lights atop squad cars down the road, and the horde of officers and park rangers currently milling about or patrolling the scene.

"That should be it, up there," Yang said. Yang pulled the car to the side of the road and threw the car into park before stepping out, Blake following suit a few seconds after. Yang watched as the white fog hanging low above the road engulfed around her feet.

"Fog is gonna be a pain," Blake said as she began stepping forward.

"Just watch out, don't accidentally step on any evidence," Yang said as she grabbed her bag of equipment from the backseat of the car.

As Yang and Blake strode closer to the crime scene, the aftermath became clearer to view through the fog. On the shoulder of the road were two bodies, splayed out on the cement. Off the side of the road was a white, Econoline-looking van, turned over on its side. The entire crime scene was already roped off with yellow police tape tied up to barricades and tables. Yang and Blake's arrival clearly piqued the interest of one of the officers, as one of the officers with a brunette faux hawk and Oakley sunglasses began walking up to the two.

"Ma'am, I'm Sergeant Cardin Winchester," the officer said as he walked up to Yang. "This is a VKPD crime scene, if you're with the park rangers-"

"Yo, Xiao Long!" cried out a voice from behind Officer Winchester, who then turned around to see where the voice was coming from. Through the fog, a slim figure was seen emerging: a blonde man with unruly blonde hair, a shabby olive suit and a yellow monkey tail trailing behind him.

"Sun, what's your goofy ass doing all the way out here?" Yang said with a smile before heartily shaking Sun's hand. Sun flashed his signature golden smile before turning to Blake. Sun, clearly curious at the new detective, gave a relaxed salute as a sly smile began to crawl across his face.

"Madam," Sun said with a grin. Despite the fog, Yang could see a small blush growing on Blake's face as she nodded in return. Yang rolled her eyes as she stepped between Blake and Sun.

"Sun, this is Blake Belladonna, she's my new partner in the Robbery Homicide Division," Yang said. "Blake, this is Detective Sun Wukong, Organized Crime Unit."

"Hello," Blake offered as a greeting.

Cardin, who was clearly peeved from the frown on his face, turned to Sun.

"You know the Blonde?" Cardin asked.

"Yeah," Sun said. "They're VKPD detectives, pal. Robbery and Homicide. Meaning they outrank you, too."

Cardin then redirected his glare towards Yang.

"You two taking responsibility for this scene, then?" Cardin grumbled.

"Take a guess," Yang replied, her face cold as stone. Cardin simply muttered something under his breath and walked past Yang and Blake. Blake scowled back at Cardin as he walked off.

"C'mon. Let's walk and talk," Sun said. "The crime scene is just over there, I'll fill you in."

* * *

_NV: So Detective Wukong was at the scene?_

_BB: Yeah, he was. You know him?_

_NV: Damn straight. Guy owes me 20 Lien from the bet he made me from the last football game._

_BB: [Scoffs] Yeah, that sounds like Sun._

* * *

_JA: Tell us a little more about how you knew Detective Sun Wukong._

_YXL: Well, Sun and his partner, Neptune Vasilias, were part of the Organized Crime Unit, OCU. We'd worked a few cases together, mainly ones pertaining to the Salem crime family._

_PN: How would you describe Det. Wukong's handling of the triple homicide case?_

_YXL: Well, he was the first to get the case before it got handed off to us. Other than that...he handled it all by the book, far as I could tell. [Laughs] Trust me, if you meet the guy, you'll probably write him off as some idiot, but he's a damn good detective as well. We would've been screwed on this case if Sun hadn't done such a good job preserving the scene._

* * *

"The 911 call went out last night around 2330," Sun said. "Park Rangers got a report from a passing minivan about bodies on the road and an overturned van off the side of the road. Forensics has already been here picking apart the scene, they think that the actual shooting probably went down a good 2-3 hours before the actual 911 call."

"No one heard the shots?" Blake asked.

"Nope," Sun said. "This is the only service road within a 25 mile radius, far off the beaten path. All around here is just trees and forest. Not a soul around to hear the shooting."

"So, I take it this is a Salem Mob job since you're here?" Yang asked as the trio walked down the road and past squad cars and officers rushing past. The three of them were busy slipping on blue latex gloves, while Yang silently slipped a toothpick from her jacket pocket into the corner of her mouth.

"No, actually," Sun said. "We don't have a clue who hit this van. But we do know who got hit, and that's why I'm here."

Sun then lifted up the police tape currently blocking off the wreckage and bodies for Blake and Yang. The two swiftly ducked under and approached the bodies, with Sun following suit.

Yang pulled out her flashlight and flicked it on, shining the light on the two bodies in front of the van. With the light now cutting through the fog, it became clear that the two bodies were Faunus from the tail on one, and fox ears on the others.

"Blake, Yang, meet Fennec and Corsac Albain," Sun proclaimed. "Officially, priests in the First Nature Brotherhood of Light. Unofficially, lieutenants in the White Fang's Vale outfit."

Yang could see the blood-stained robes of the two priests, their faces gnashed and contorted. Square in the middle of both their foreheads were gaping, crimson entrance wounds.

"Gunshot wounds. Headshots," Yang said.

"Looks execution-style," Blake said.

"Oh yeah?" Yang asked.

"Mm hm," Blake murmured. "Look…"

Blake then crouched next to the bodies.

"...Smudge marks on their pant legs, they were on their knees for a bit," Blake said. "Both their hands are laid out above their heads in almost the same pattern, and both of them were found on their backs. The small entrance wounds and the fact that they were both shot square in the middle of their foreheads make me think that they were executed close range."

"The cuts and bruises all over their bodies, though," Sun interjected, "How do you explain that?"

"Well, we got our answer right there," Blake said, pointing at the van. "They must've been in the van when it swerved off the road and hit the ditch."

Blake then grunted as she stood up.

"My guess? They walked out or got dragged out of the van after it crashed," Blake said. Whoever hit the van then moved them over here, on the shoulder of the road and had them on their knees before they popped 'em."

Sun nodded in agreement.

"Damn," Sun said. "You know your shit, Detective...uhh...sorry, what was your name again?"

A big, goofy grin crept across Sun's face. Blake blushed again.

"Belladonna," Blake said with a sly grin. "This isn't my first rodeo."

Yang then gestured with her head towards the overturned van.

"911 calls said there was a third body," Yang said. "Is it in there?"

"Yup," Sun said. "Driver's side."

Yang then began to set foot out towards the van, with Sun following closely behind. Yang felt the squelch of mud under her shoes as she stepped off the hard concrete of the road and towards the overturned wreckage.

The overturned van was milky white, an old-model Ford Econoline van. Yang pinched the toothpick out of her mouth and put it in her coat pocket, then hoisted herself up on top of the overturned left side of the van and peered down to inspect the wreckage. Marked on its left side, which was now facing upwards, were text decals.

"First Nature Brotherhood of Light," Yang muttered to herself, reading off the text decals.

"Hey, Sun," Yang called out. "First Nature is a mostly Faunus congregation, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Sun called back.

"You think this was a human supremacist attack?" Yang asked.

"Dunno," Sun said. "No group has claimed responsibility yet, if it is."

Yang silently nodded, before making her way to the driver's seat of the van. Yang quickly shone her flashlight down through the cracked driver's side window. Through the cracks, Yang could make the body out to be a male Faunus with bat wings, his face bloody and his eyes wide open. He looked like he couldn't be older than 30.

"You got a PID on this guy?" Yang called.

"Yeah," Sun called back. "Yuma Trifoli, 28. Truck driver from Vale. We've been tracking this son-of-a-bitch for a while now, he's for sure a White Fang foot soldier. Got busted for grand theft auto in '09."

Yang then bent down over the driver side door and struggled to pry it open. After the door finally swung open, Yang got a clearer picture of the body: there were bullet holes riddled throughout the victim's chest.

"Yo," Yang said, "This guy got shot too. Looks like 2, 3 to the torso, near the sternum."

"Yup," Sun said, "Hey, if you're done over there, come to the front of the van."

Yang then slid off the top of the van and walked over to Sun, who was currently crouched down and investigating the windshield of the van.

"Look at this," Sun said, pointing at the bullet holes within the cracked, splintered windshield.

"Huh," Yang muttered. "3, 4 shots through the windshield, tight grouping on all of them. Are there any more shots going through the front of the van, like on the grille or headlights?"

"Nada," Sun replied. "All the shots went straight through the windshield, and pretty much all the shots hit the driver."

Yang nodded in acknowledgement, then put the toothpick in her coat pocket back in her mouth.

"What type of bullet casings and shells have you picked up?" Yang asked.

"All 7.62 mm," Sun quickly replied. "Forensics picked up 2 casings near where the Albain brothers got dropped, plus 4 more casings out down the road, likely from the shots in the windshield."

"How far down the road?" Yang asked.

"About...40, 50 feet from where the van crashed," Sun said.

Yang grit her teeth as she rolled the toothpick around in her mouth. "If they put 3 rounds straight through the driver from 40 to 50 feet down the road, that means these guys are dead fuckin' accurate," Yang said.

"You think they're ex-Atlas military?" Sun asked.

"Maybe," Yang said. "Those are the only guys who can shoot that good."

Yang sighed, and then took the toothpick out of her mouth, and threw it off to the side, somewhere into the tallgrass.

"You took a look at the interior of the van yet?" Yang asked.

"Nah," Sun replied.

"Well, let's go have a look then," Yang said as she began walking around towards the rear doors, then grabbing ahold of the handles and swinging the doors open.

As Yang's flashlight illuminated the interior of the van, it was a mess: large bundles and bags of cash were strewn everywhere. A thin white layer of powder covered some of the money in the van.

"Goddamn," Sun said.

"Well, at least now we know they weren't on no fuckin' church retreat," Yang sneered.

"That's gotta be at least Ⱡ10-15,000 right there," Sun motioned to the loose bills. "You think that white shit is narcotics?"

"Dunno," Yang said. "We can get forensics to confirm, but if I was a betting woman, I'd say yes."

In the corner of Yang's eye, a few manila envelopes were strewn on the now-overturned sidewall of the van. Yang reached out and grabbed ahold of it.

"What's that?" Sun asked as Yang opened the manila envelope and pulled out a coarse, pulpy piece of paper marked "Vale Kingdom Treasury" on top.

"Bearer bonds," Yang said, examining the paper. "Lots of money in them. They're untraceable, completely anonymous. Redeemable at any Vale treasury department, but all treasury agents are specifically told to red-flag anyone trying to cash in these types of bonds since 90% of these things are cashed in by crooks."

Sun cocked his head to get a better look at the bond. "Looks like this one is only for Ⱡ200," Sun muttered.

"Yup," Yang said. "I'm willing to guess the rest of the bonds are small denominations too."

"You thinking that whoever hit this van only took the larger-value bonds?" Sun asked.

"That's only if the White Fang were carrying higher-value bearer bonds in this van in the first place," Yang said.

"Yang!" a voice called out through the fog; a voice Yang instantly recognized as Blake's. "Come over here."

Sun and Yang turned to the sound of the voice and began trudging out of the ditch and towards the silhouette of Yang's partner, looming through the fog in the middle of the road.

"What you find, Blake?" Yang asked as she approached Blake, who was now crouched on the ground near where the Albain brothers' bodies lay and planting her right index favor onto the road underneath.

"Oil patch," Blake said as she rose her index finger to Yang to show it smudged with a black, greasy substance. "It's big enough where a car would be idling here for at least a little bit, but probably not too long. You think this is from the perps?"

"Maybe," Yang said, "If it would be from anyone's car, it definitely would have been from whoever hit this truck."

Blake rose up from the ground and turned to face Yang. "You got an idea of who hit this van?" Blake asked.

"Dunno yet," Yang replied. "Sun, you've been working the WF for a while now. You know anything about them moving money through church vans in forest preserves like this?"

"Very little," Sun said. "From what we got from wiretaps and phone conversations, we do know they got lots of loose cash and shit like the bearer bonds floating around, but we didn't know how or when they move their stuff. Even the lower-level White Fang guys seem like they aren't filled in either."

"Have the rangers found any other vehicles, weapons, clothing dumped around here that could've been used for the crime?" Yang asked.

"Nothing," Sun replied. "Looks like the perps haven't dumped their car or guns."

Yang nods and stares off, seemingly thinking.

"What'cha think, hoss?" Sun pried. "You got a better picture of who did this?"

"Well, we can rule human supremacists and lower-level street gangs off the list," Yang said. "First off, no one is going to come out to this middle-of-nowhere road unless they were specifically looking for something, in this case a White Fang caravan stocked with cash and bonds that they absolutely _knew_ was going to be there. That means that whoever hit this van had some insider knowledge on White Fang operations, which is basically out of the realm of possibility for some racist human redneck the White Fang wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole."

Yang then motioned towards the van.

"Also, we don't know what was taken from that van, but we know that loose bills, drugs and small bonds were left in the back," Yang said. "If I was some jumped up street punk, I would've been shitting bricks at all of that, and I wouldn't have even paid attention to the bearer bonds. But the crew left most of the money, and _maybe_ took the bonds instead, cause they knew that there might be some good money in there. That means they're smart. They're fuckin' good, brutal too. They didn't try signaling the van to stop or anything, they just put a 3 round burst through the driver to stop the van from 50 feet away, and then they popped whoever survived. They were not interested in leaving survivors."

"You think it's an inside job from the White Fang?" Blake said. "It matches the MO that the WF uses. Their shooters certainly don't like to create witnesses."

"Maybe," Yang said, nodding. "It would explain how they knew about the caravan, too. It could also be one of the smaller robbery crews-one that has enough money for a getaway vehicle and a 7.62 mm rifle-but not enough money to dump them and piss money down the drain. Either way, we know they're professional, and if they took the bonds, we know they're connected."

"How so?" Sun asked. "I thought you said those bearer bonds were untraceable, no owners."

"Sure they are," Yang continued, "But they're hot. If this crew is worth half the shit that I think they are, they know they can't just walk into the bank and cash this in. They'd have to know a fence, or someone in the mob. They might be the only people who can have enough sway in the treasury to turn the bonds into cash without getting the attention of the Treasury Department."

"We got any fences who could flip these bonds?" Blake asked.

"The only ones I know big enough to do so are Roman Torchwick and his crew, or Junior Xiong," Sun said. "The Salem mob might have a few people, but we'll be on them like white on rice through the wiretaps."

Blake nodded before turning to Yang. "So, what's the move?" Blake asked.

"We'll notify the treasury department ASAP," Yang said. "If we're lucky, the perps'll be dumb enough to try to cash the bonds themselves. Otherwise, we gotta hope they'll go to a fence. Blake, tomorrow you and I'll talk to Roman Torchwick. He has pretty much all the fences in Vale's commercial district in his pocket, so he'll likely know who stole those bonds, but he's going to play hard to get. Afterwards, we'll talk to Junior. Got it?"

Blake silently nodded.

* * *

_LR: Tell me, Blake. What did you know about Yang Xiao Long at the point you two were assigned to the case?_

_BB: I've heard some stories._

_NV: Elaborate. What stories exactly?_

_BB: Well, I knew she was top of her class from Beacon Academy, quickly rose up the ranks, and she was one of the youngest to become detective at 21. She had a good number of cases under her belt. She was building a reputation as a prodigy in the department and someone to watch out for on the street. Everyone said she was the one who took down Shay D. Mann's crew in that botched armored car robbery downtown, and that she was the one who blew away Mann himself._

_LR: What did you find out about Yang firsthand?_

_BB: What do you mean-_

_NV: Come on, detective. Says here in your Mountain Glenn evaluations that you were the department's most proficient profiler, and you didn't start to build a profile on Yang herself?_

_BB: Well-[sigh]-when we worked cases, I did start to notice things about her. She occasionally broke protocol when investigating, going to parts of the crime scene she shouldn't have been to, talking to informants or perpetrators that were out of her pocket. I pegged her as someone who wasn't going to bureaucratic red tape tie her down. She was also street-smart, and she knew all the ins and outs of Vale. But really, the main thing I saw with Yang...she was resilient. I've seen her work. All the gangsters, criminals, liars and cheats we were constantly dealing with-she never let them get the best of her. If they came swinging at her, she swung back harder._

* * *

Sun took out a pack of cigarettes and slipped one into his mouth, before reaching into his coat pocket and taking out a small lighter, flicking it on and bringing the tiny flame to the end of the cigarette. He took a long drag before taking it out of his mouth and exhaling.

"Smoke?" Sun asked as he turned to Yang, standing to his right.

"Nah, I quit," Yang said. "Trying to be more healthy this year."

"Oh, good for you!" Sun said, smiling. "So, uh, how are things with you? How's you and Weiss doing?"

"Eh," Yang said while shrugging. "Well...Weiss is pissed at me."

"Really?" Sun said before his face began to drop. "What happened?"

"It's her fuckin' father again," Yang said. "I mean, if you saw the news recently, he's been ripping into Weiss about the Faunus school bussing rights case she's representing."

"What'd he say?" Sun asked before bringing the cigarette back up to his mouth.

"I'm not gonna repeat it," Yang said as her face began to harden. "All I'm gonna say is that he said some shit that you should never say about your own fuckin' daughter."

"So...why is she mad at you?" Sun asked.

Yang sighed.

"I told her father to fuck off," Yang said.

Sun looked at Yang with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, before he burst out with gasping laughter.

"You told Jacques Schnee to fuck off?" Sun said, bewildered.

"Yeah," Yang said. "Why?"

"You know that guy is going to be president, right?" Sun said. "And you just told him to fuck off."

"I don't care," Yang said, grimacing. "Weiss is out there, making a difference, and her father wants to be petty. She has to say nothing and just take it, or she can speak out against her father and become the bad guy. I'm not gonna let her be put in either situation."

Sun shrugged. "I don't know, man. This is Jacques Schnee we're talking about."

"I don't care, Sun!" Yang said with a bewildered scoff. "He's a motherfucking crook. He can do whatever he wants, but if he's gonna come after Weiss and I, he better come heavy, cause I am most certainly not going to hold back if he does. If Weiss wants to be mad at me for that, so be it, but her father is not going to get away with this."

Sun simply shrugged and brought his cigarette back up to his mouth for another drag.

"Well, that's how my life is going," Yang said before taking off her sunglasses and rubbing her eyes. "Hey, where's boy blue?"

"Huh? Nep?" Sun asked, before he paused, and his face suddenly crept into a smug grin. "Oh, yeah. You're gonna love this."

"What happened?" Yang said, a small grin growing on her face from her own curiosity.

"So, on record, Detective Neptune Vasilias is back at the Forever Fall Park Ranger station about 17 miles down the road, coordinating with Park Rangers to secure this scene," Sun said. "You know what he's really doing? He's probably laying on the sofa in the station, clutching his stomach and crying, all because the dumbass decided to eat the poké bowl from A Simple Wok."

"Really?" Yang said with a slight chuckle. "I thought that place shut down for health code violations."

"Not yet!" Sun said with a smile. "Didn't stop Nep and I from going there, but I told the guy, 'Don't get the poké bowl here, man, they probably use stinking, rotten fish from last year.'"

Yang shook her head with a smile. "Damn, I hate to be you, saddled up with that dumbass."

Sun laughed. "Eh, the guy isn't half bad, when he isn't sidelined with violent bowel movement."

Both snickered, before in the corner of Yang's eye, she saw Blake, still crouched over the dead bodies of the Albain brothers. Sun followed Yang's gaze and spotted Blake too.

"She's been studying the dead guys for a while now, huh?" Sun said.

"Yeah," Yang said with a silent nod. "She, uh, she's real detail oriented."

"Really?" Sun asked.

"Mm hm," Yang said. "She's spent hours at crime scenes before. Now, I've known detectives who spend hours at crime scenes, just like her, but the difference between her and them is that she actually finds shit. Things I never would've seen."

Sun finished the last of his cigarette, then dropped it to the ground and put it out under his shoe.

"Other than that, what do you think of her?" Sun asked.

Yang paused, her face unmoving, before she opened her mouth to speak.

"I don't know," Yang said. "You know, outside of the job, we don't really talk, you know?"

Sun nodded. Blake must've felt the eyes on the back of her head, as she turned her head towards Yang and Sun, then grabbed her clipboard and stood up, beginning to walk towards the two.

"All finished?" Yang asked.

"Got all I need," Blake responded.

Yang nodded, and then turned to Sun.

"Alright, we gotta go back to the station, make a few phone calls," Yang said. "You got it over here?"

"Yeah, I'll just be working with the rangers to clean up the site, then I'll get my guys to watch the wiretaps. Yang, I'll see you later, and Ms. Belladonna...a great pleasure to meet you," Sun said, winking.

"Alright, slow your roll, hotshot," Yang teased as she escorted Blake back to their car.

The walk back was in complete silence, simply the clicking of shoes on the asphalt as Yang and Blake marched through the fog at their ankles back to where they had left their car. Yang had entered the car and started the engine, while Blake entered next. Yang noticed instantly that Blake looked gaunt and pale.

"Hey, you okay?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Blake replied.

"You know, uh...I know what happened here today is some fucked up shit," Yang said. "It's okay if you're still shocked from it-"

"No, no, it's not that," Blake said. "It's just…"

"What's up?" Yang asked.

"It's, uh…" Blake got out before trailing off again. "It's the two bodies, on the road, you know…"

"What about them?" Yang asked.

"Those two, the Albain brothers...they were the priests at the church I went to, growing up in Mountain Glenn," Blake said.

Yang stared at Blake for a good 5 seconds before she turned her head forward, shocked.

"You knew those bodies on the road?" Yang inquired.

"Yeah," Blake replied. "From my childhood."

There was another pause as Yang opened her mouth, and then shut it again, clearly at a loss for what to say.

"I...uh...I had no idea," Yang said. "Shit, I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't be," Blake said, shaking her head. "It's not a big deal."

Yang gave Blake one last concerned look before she nodded in acknowledgement and then put the car into drive and began driving down Palm Drive back to Vale.

* * *

Blake and Yang were in and out of the department HQ by the time they got back at 4:55 pm. Blake had already collected her personal belongings and left the office by the time Yang came lumbering out of the office. Yang was bone-tired from standing on asphalt and muddy ditches on the side of the road, and she wanted nothing but to return home, but she knew that she promised someone a phone call beforehand.

Standing on the entrance stairway to the main floor of the VKPD headquarters, Yang slipped out her phone and punched in a number, waiting for the dial-tone to run before Yang put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Weiss's voice crackled from the other end of the phone.

"Hey, it's me," Yang said, instantly greeted with silence. Yang sighed, before she knew she should say something.

"Look, I wanna say I'm sorry," Yang said in a broken voice. "I know I shouldn't have done what I did. I let my emotions get the better of me again, like you said. I just...I hate seeing you being put in that situation by your own father, and I can't do anything to fix it."

Yang paused, before she heard sniffling on the other line.

"Do you know the shit I had to go through today because of what you said?" Weiss whimpered with a quavering voice. "They want to yank me from my case because they're afraid I can't separate my personal connection to it."

"Weiss, I-"

"Jesus, you're so damn bull-headed sometimes, you know that?" Weiss said. "Why can't you trust that I can handle my relationship with my own father, Yang?"

"Weiss, I'm sorry-"

"Yang, I need you to tell me you won't do this again, okay?" Weiss pleaded. "Please. Please, just trust me, alright? Can you do that?"

Yang sighed.

"Baby, I...I'm so sorry-" Yang said.

"No, Yang," Weiss said, her voice hardening. "Don't tell me you're sorry. Tell me you won't do this again."

Yang paused, feeling her own throat drying up and quivering, before she opened her mouth to speak.

"I promise I won't do it again," Yang said.

Weiss sighed on the other line, before her voice began crackling through again.

"Thank you, Yang," Weiss said. "I, uh...I forgive you. Look...I understand you're just trying to help. And I appreciate it, I really do. But I have to handle this one on my own."

"No, no, you're right," Yang said. "I was in the wrong. Look, thank you for understanding. I just got off work 10 minutes ago, I'll be heading over soon. I know you're busy working on the case, so I'll pick you up some food-"

"Oh, no, Yang, you don't have to do that-"

"Come on, princess, I insist," Yang said, some humor returning to her voice. "I insist, it's my treat."

Weiss sniffled on the other end of the line.

"Okay, uh...How about that Thai place, can you pick up some of the coconut curry rice?" Weiss asked, her voice lightening as well.

"You always get the same damn dish there," Yang said, eliciting a laugh from Weiss. "Okay, you got it, I'll pick up some coconut curry rice and bring it right over. Hey...I love you, okay?"

Weiss sighed.

"I love you too," Weiss said in a soft tone, before hanging up.

Yang exhaled a sigh of relief, then walked over to her motorcycle, slipped on her helmet, and then revved the bike's engine and sped out into the street.


	4. Internally Flawless

"I'm sorry, did you say three?" Roman said from across his mahogany desk.

"That's correct," Blake said.

Roman leaned back in his large, leather chair, and then sniggered to himself.

"Well, you know what they say - three's a crowd," Roman said, before laughing to himself again.

Blake took Roman's miniscule laughing fit as an opportunity to survey her surroundings one more time and guarantee that she was still relatively safe in Roman's office. The whole room was immensely gaudy - shelves lined with golden trophies and clear glass plaques showcasing immaculate diamonds and sparkling golden watches. The walls were painted an eye-aching lime green, and his desk was far too large for even Roman himself, accentuated by his large, dark-blue leather chair that Roman was currently lounging in. Behind Roman's chair and desk hung a large framed oil-canvas painting of, fittingly, none other than Roman Torchwick posing in grandeur.

Of course, amidst all the oozing excess within Roman's office, he made sure to pull up the cheapest foldable chairs he could for Yang and Blake. Yang was clearly miffed by this gesture, as a glare had been glued on Yang's face the minute she arrived in Torchwick's office.

"Mr. Torchwick," Blake continued, "Like I said, we need your help."

"Well, Ms. Belladonna, I'm not sure there is much I can do," Roman said. "But if there was something in return the VKPD could offer me for my troubles, I'm sure I can pull some strings to help you detectives out with your case."

Blake opened her mouth, about to remind Roman of his obligation to help the VKPD as a citizen of Vale when she heard the door behind her open and shut close. A woman with pink and brown hair and a singular pink and singular brown eye, clad in a white tail jacket, had entered the room with a smug look on her face.

"Ah - detectives, this is Neapolitan, my business associate and co-owner of this jewelry store with me," Roman said.

In lieu of a greeting, Neo simply walked over to Roman's side of the desk, and leaned against the wall.

"She's a peach, really," Roman said. "I don't know how I'd be able to run this store without her-"

Before Roman could finish his thought, Neo tapped on Roman's shoulder, then proceeded to say something in sign language, her hands and arms moving in fluid motions. Roman's own smug grin suddenly dropped, and his face hardened.

"Wha-well, what happened?" Roman asked.

Neo simply flashed something in sign language as a response.

"...he's what!?" Roman shouted as a response. "Well...where is he now?"

Neo flashed another message to Roman in sign language.

"...Well," Roman said with a sigh, "Where's the other half of him?"

Blake and Yang both shot an uneasy glance at each other as Neo flashed one last message.

"Okay, okay," Roman said. "You better hope the stains come out, I'm pretty sure that was a Ⱡ10,000 mink fur rug."

Roman then cleared his throat and then looked back at Blake and Yang.

"So, ladies," Roman continued, a slick grin creeping across his face. "Sorry for the interruption. Neapolitan was, uh...just telling me how much of a pleasure it is to meet you two."

Blake and Yang looked at Neo with peculiar stares, while a sinister grin began to spread across Neo's face.

* * *

_YXL: Torchwick was gonna jerk us around, he made that apparent the minute we set foot in his Downtown Vale Jewelry shop. Guy makes us wait with his two new "security advisors," Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, out front of his office for 30 minutes, while he was supposedly finishing business up._

_JA: What made you go to Roman Torchwick to begin with?_

_YXL: If you have to ask, you clearly have no idea who Roman Torchwick was. Almost every single hot good that was being fenced in Vale either went through Roman Torchwick, or went to a fence that Torchwick knew. Anything from stolen vics and flat-screen TV's that "fell off the back of a truck," all the way up to precious metals and jewels. He had all the right connections, and he knew all the right ways to turn your ill-gotten shit into cash. If Junior didn't know where the bonds were or who took them, Roman would most definitely know._

* * *

_BB: He wanted to be a celebrity, that was sure. Everyone on the continent knew Torchwick's public persona. He ran "From Dust to Dawn," that chain of Jewelry stores, he owned the Regal Steakhouse downtown, and he owned the Vale Trucking & Shipping company. He was making himself known as a businessman downtown and the commercial districts, and he was starting to do TV commercials, all that kind of stuff. And, granted, his legal business ventures probably helped him in the public eye and the court of law, but at the end of the day, his main focus - his main love - were underworld dealings. And he just couldn't stay away from his criminal empire, no matter how legitimate he tried to look._

* * *

"Mr. Torchwick," Blake began, "We came to you today because we know you're an important man who knows everything there is worth knowing in Vale."

Roman arched his eyebrows in curiosity at Blake's apparent compliment, before a smug grin crept on his face.

"Knowing things is the key to any successful businessman," Roman boasted.

"As I mentioned, the VKPD is investigating the three murders up in Forever Fall, and we're looking for more information about the perpetrators," Blake said. "Since you're knowledgeable about what happens in Vale, we were hoping you could shed some light about anything you might know."

Roman simply smiled in response.

"Am I...under suspicion of orchestrating the three murders?" Roman asked.

"We never pegged you as a person of interest, Torchwick," Yang spat. "Should we, though?"

Roman chuckled to himself and shook his head.

"Detective Xiao Long, feisty as ever," he muttered to himself before turning back to the two detectives. "If I'm not a suspect in this crime, then I don't particularly understand why I'm being questioned. I certainly have no quarrels with the White Fang, and if the 56 million worth of diamonds and jewelry that I currently have amassed in this store wasn't enough of an indication, I am a businessman, working in the jewelry business. Not the dummy robbery and murder business. I don't need the spare change out of the back of a drug caravan. I, quite frankly, would actually rather wish to distance myself from this robbery, as I'd prefer not to meddle in the affairs of…well, whoever was crazy enough to kill three people on the side of the road in some wild west stickup, lest I want to be the next one to have a bullet in their heads."

Roman groaned as he reclined in his chair and swung his feet on top of his desk.

"So, as I've said, I cannot help you two...unless there's some more details behind this case that you haven't told me yet," Roman said with a sly grin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have just received a shipment of Internally Flawless diamonds from Atlas, and I'll be needing to inspect-"

"Bearer bonds," Blake calmly said. Roman ceased talking immediately, and his face went from surprised to intently focused on what Blake had to say next.

"I'm sorry?" Roman asked.

"One of the items stolen from the crime scene were bearer bonds," Blake said. "We don't know how much, but likely a large enough amount that only small value bonds were left. And we know that you're one of the few people in Vale who could pull strings to get those bonds cashed out."

Roman lifted his feet off the table and sat straight up in his chair.

"What are you trying to say?" Roman asked.

"If I was the one who hit that van, the first thing I'd do is come to you," Blake said. "And I'm willing to bet that sometime in the next two weeks, whoever stole from that van is going to approach you with those stolen bearer bonds."

Roman scoffed.

"I know where this is going," Roman said. "You want me to turn in the punks who hit the van when they come to me, and to hand over the stolen bearer bonds."

"No," Blake said. "We'll take an anonymous tip from you of whoever hit the van. As for the bearer bonds, they're yours to keep."

There was a silent pause in the room after Blake spoke. Yang gave a shocked look at Blake, while Roman was trying to mask his confusion with a smile.

"I'm sorry," Roman said, "are you trying to say-"

"Yes. Yes I am," Blake said. "Once those bonds are in your hands, as far as I know they never existed, and you can do whatever you want with them. We only want the names and locations of the people involved with the case."

Blake then leaned back in her chair and brought her right leg up over her left thigh, crossing her legs, giving a cold look to Torchwick.

"That's what the VKPD can do for you," Blake said. "Off the record."

Roman, still dumbfounded, turned to Yang.

"Ms. Xiao Long, how do you feel about all this?" Roman asked.

Yang shrugged. "If that's what it's gonna take for you to scratch our back, then it's the price we're gonna have to pay," Yang said.

Roman sighed, and then paused, seemingly to think about the deal just made.

"Well, it's an interesting offer, I'll give you that," Roman said. "Especially coming from someone who's new to Vale like yourself, Ms. Belladonna. You've got some guts, kitty cat. I'll give you that."

Roman then grabbed a cane leaning against the side of his desk and stood straight up. He then began walking to the door of his office.

"That being said, I'll need to think about it," Roman said as he opened the door to his office. "If I do take you two up on your offer, I'll be calling you in the next two weeks with names. Now, if you excuse me, I have urgent matters to attend to."

Yang and Blake both stood up from their chairs, and walked towards the office doorway, passing by a grinning Torchwick without acknowledging him.

* * *

"You got a Smith n' Wesson Model 10. It's a .38 special, right?" Mercury said as he handed the gun back to Yang. "That ain't a standard-issue firearm for pigs, ain't it?"

Yang and Blake were currently in the storefront of Roman's shop, retrieving their confiscated weapons and equipment. It was explicit VKPD regulation to never hand over your issues firearm to a non-Officer, but Blake found that like all things with Torchwick, you had to bend the rules if you wanted to get anything out of him.

"No, it ain't," Yang said as she grabbed the gun from Mercury's hand and holstered it on her belt. "It's cause I ain't a standard-issue pig either."

"Bold talk from someone using a cowboy pea-shooter," Mercury spat.

Blake began to size Mercury up as Emerald handed Blake her own gun, a Glock 19. Mercury had a tall, wiry build and wearing a steel gray sports coat and white dress shirt, while Emerald was shorter and had a Olive grey suit jacket and crimson red tie on. Emerald had a sneer on her face as she handed the gun over to Blake.

"Oh yeah?" Yang retorted. "If you're Mr. Fuckin'-gun-expert here, why don't you show me what you're packing, then?"

"I ain't packin' nothing-"

"Oh, get the fuck outta here," Yang said. "You telling me Roman Torchwick hires you as 'security consultants,' and you don't have a heater? You must be fuckin' stupid or something."

Mercury had an uneasy look plastered on his face, while Emerald and Blake looked on.

"Come on!" Yang said. "What you got for me, tough guy?"

Mercury groaned and then lifted up the left side of his sports coat, revealing a large gun holstered on the left side of his body.

"M1911," Mercury said. "Ain't no .38 six shooter. You catch a shot from this, you're dead."

A grin crept on Yang's face as she was clearly trying to stifle a laugh.

"You? With a .45?" Yang sneered. "A little guy like you with a gun like that, you'd dislocate your elbow on the first shot. Also, you know that thing has a jamming problem, right?"

Mercury simply said nothing, glaring in return.

"Maybe it's a good thing you got a .45," Yang said. "A fuckup like you, you're probably going to end up shooting yourself on accident down the line, and at least you got a big enough caliber to make sure you actually die from it. It'll be doing the world a favor."

His pride wounded, Mercury was shooting daggers with his eyes toward Yang as he let his sports coat down over his gun. Emerald had come to Mercury's side now as well, and was similarly glaring at the two.

"Come on Blake, let's go," Yang said, before turning to Emerald and Mercury. " _Au Revoir_ , cocksuckers. It's been fun, and I hope to never see you again in my life."

Yang stormed out of the office and held the door for Blake as the two exited the shop. The two walked over to their car parked in front of the store.

"Pleasant bunch," Blake said as she approached the passenger's side door, opened it, and then slid into the seat.

* * *

"Hey," Yang said, grabbing Blake's attention. Blake's ear perked straight up at Yang's call and turned to her in the driver's seat.

"Yeah?" Blake responded.

"You know what you're getting yourself into, right?" Yang asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"That deal you made with Torchwick," Yang said, "You know Ozpin would never authorize something like that, right? And Torchwick isn't someone to be treated lightly."

"I know what I'm doing, Yang," Blake responded. "I'm not some green who's gonna walk herself into a trap. Besides, it's not like we have another option dealing with this guy."

"Well, there was one," Yang said. "We coulda knocked his teeth out. That way, he could fashion himself with a nice golden tooth to match the rest of his gaudy-ass store."

Blake scoffed. The two were currently sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the freeway, waiting for the highway patrol to clean up an accident down the road and open up the lanes again. Blake sighed and leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes for a second.

"So…" Yang began, "Have you thought about where you want to go for dinner?"

"Hm?" Blake asked, opening her eyes and turning her head to Yang again.

"Dinner!" Yang quipped. "You know, with Weiss and I?"

Blake paused for a second before she recalled the proposition that Yang made a few days ago: go out to eat somewhere with Yang, and get to meet her girlfriend, Weiss Schnee. It would've been the first time Blake would've spent time with Yang outside of work, and it'll be a good way for Blake to get to know Yang and Blake, and vice versa.

"I don't know," Blake said. "I haven't had time to think about it with this new case falling in our lap, and I haven't been feeling well-"

"Blake, c'mon!" Yang said with a grin. "Take a break from work for once. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're not feeling well cause you haven't been sleeping?"

Blake nodded.

"Don't tell me you haven't been sleeping cause of the case," Yang said. "You need to slow down, Blake. Some time off and a dinner'll be good for you!"

Blake pursed her lips, before smiling.

"Alright, alright," Blake acquiesced. "I know you're not gonna take no for an answer anyways."

"It'll be fun, I promise!" Yang said. "So, where do you wanna go?"

"I dunno," Blake said. "I don't know what all the good restaurants are in town."

"Well, how 'bout this - what type of food do you want to eat?"

Blake paused to think, before she spoke.

"How about Mexican?" Blake asked.

"Great!" Yang cheerily replied. "I know the perfect place. There's a cantina south of the river in Vale, they have some of the best Mexican in town. Margaritas there kick like a mule, and they even got a catch-of-the-day tacos where they get fish straight from the harbor. I know you got a thing for seafood, so…"

Blake rolled her eyes and smirked at Yang's comment.

"Alright, you sold me," Blake said.

* * *

_YXL: It actually wasn't my idea to have dinner, neither was it Blake's. Weiss actually suggested that we all get dinner together. She said it would be a good idea for us to get to know each other better, and make it easier for us to work together, or something like that._

_PN: So Weiss had never met Blake Belladonna before?_

_YXL: Nope. But I mean, I did tell her about what little I did know about Blake. I also told her about how wound up Blake was. I mean, in the three months I worked with Blake, I don't think I saw her relax once, and she was always showing up to work bone-tired, with bags under her eyes and all. Weiss, being how she was, got concerned and said that it might help Blake if we gave her an excuse to take an evening off._

_JA: So, is it correct that you only wanted to go to dinner because of Weiss's suggestion?_

_YXL: No, no. You know, I wanted to get to know Blake too. I figured I could put on the good ol' fashioned charm on her, get her to open up to me more. It would be fun, I thought, to hear a little more about her._

_PN: Would you still have agreed to dinner if you knew at the time that Blake Belladonna was a mole within the VKPD, operating on behalf of the White Fang?_

_[Pause. Y. Xiao Long clears her throat.]_

_YXL: No. No, I wouldn't have._

* * *

Blake and Yang got back to the department headquarters around 5, the sun setting in the horizon and casting a warm glow over the city. Blake watched from the building entrance as Yang peeled out of the parking lot on her bike and drive out of sight. Seeing the coast was clear, Blake herself walked out the door with a manila folder tucked under her arm as she walked towards her own car, hopped in, and drove out of the parking lot and in the opposite direction as Yang.

It would take her half an hour to drive out of Vale and to the old, abandoned drive-in theater in the middle of the sticks. Every time a meeting like this was called, she'd always had to drive out to the theater, and Tukson would always be there, sitting in his rusty, tan Oldsmobile Cutlass sitting in the middle of the lot, waiting for her.

The sun was beginning to set, and the dim white streetlights above Blake were beginning to hum alive, illuminating the street below. Blake took the next right off Menasha Ave. onto a dusty trail leading into the theater's dusty lot. She could already see the tan Oldsmobile parked all by itself in the lot, but as Blake pulled up to the car and killed the engine, Blake could see that it wasn't Tukson waiting for her at the car, but rather a small, tan woman sitting on the hood of the car, wearing a black windbreaker and sunglasses.

"Ilia?" Blake asked as she stepped out of the car.

"You're late," Ilia spat as she jumped off the hood of the car and took off her glasses, shooting a glare towards Blake.

"What are you doing here? Where's Tukson?" Blake asked.

Ilia simply replied with a cold stare, only adding to Blake's confusion.

"Come on, get in," Ilia said. Blake simply returned a concerned glance towards Ilia, which only seemed to aggravate Ilia further.

"Blake, we're wasting time here," Ilia said. "What's the goddamn hold-up?"

"Ilia...where are we going?" Blake asked.

"To Adam," Ilia flatly replied before her own face dropped, realized what Blake was implying. "Blake...if Adam wanted me to kill you, you would've already been in the trunk of your own car by now. Get the fuck in the car."

Blake pursed her lips in frustration, and, realizing she had no other option, opened the backseat door to the Cutlass and sat inside. Ilia entered the driver's seat, slammed the door behind her, and then turned around to face Blake after tossing her a piece of black cloth.

"Put it on," Ilia said, as Blake inspected the cloth and realized it was a black bag. Blake sighed, and then put the scratchy, rank cloth over her head, blackness enveloping her vision and sounds becoming muffled.

"Get comfy. It's gonna be a bit till we get there," Ilia said, before Blake could hear the sound of the car engine roaring to life and her seat lurching forward as the car began to accelerate out of the lot.

* * *

_BB: If you wanted to have a sit-down with Adam Taurus, you had to play ball with exactly how he wanted you to meet him. You'd always drive out to the Alamo Drive-In Theater outside Vale, and there would always be someone there to meet you, someone Adam trusted in his inner circle. You had to have a piece of cloth or something over your head the whole drive, because they didn't even want you to know where you'd be meeting Adam. They always had disgusting, old cloths for you to wear, but you knew not to complain, because if you did, they'd blow you away, no questions asked, since Adam would have no tolerance for weaklings among his ranks._

_NV: You said the White Fang foot soldier known as Tukson was the one who usually drove you. Why wasn't he there to pick you up, and Ilia Amintola was there instead?_

_BB: [Scoffs] Well, this is the White Fang we're talking about. What do you think happened?_

* * *

It was a silent 20, 30 minutes before Blake heard Ilia throw the car in park, and then shut the engine off.

"You can take your mask off," Ilia said. Blake pinched the cloth bag off her head, her eyes adjusting to the bright lights emanating through the car windows. She took in a deep breath, finally filling her lungs with fresh air. Blake blinked twice, and after staring through the car window, determined that they were in a tiny, 2-car garage of a house.

Blake and Ilia both exited the car and shut the door quickly, before Ilia headed to a wooden-frame door in front of the car, opened it, and motioned for Blake to enter. Blake walked cautiously and walked through the door, Ilia following her in and shutting the door behind her.

* * *

_BB: The house they took me to was what outwardly appeared to be a standard-fare, upper-middle class suburban house, the ones you could buy for maybe Ⱡ300-400k. The inside of the house had white walls, and nice, hardwood flooring. But that was about all the house had that made it look like a normal house. Everything else made it seem like a war room or an army barracks. Weapons caches and ammo, pallets stacked with cash, garbage and duffel bags packed to the brim with every single narcotic that can fetch a dime on the street; all of these were the only things in the house, but no furniture. Hell, there was always a section of the house with what looked like PC networks and or some sort of surveillance equipment, and there were always someone typing away at these things, but I don't even know what they were doing half the time._

_LR: So you're saying that you and Amintola weren't the only ones in the house?_

_BB: No, there were always 3 or 4 of Adam's most trusted soldiers hanging out at the house, on the off chance that it was raided._

_NV: So let me get this straight - the White Fang was operating a, a...command center of sorts in the middle of some suburb, with military-grade arms and surveillance tech?_

_BB: It was the perfect place to set up shop - posh, affluent neighborhoods that had little historical faunus population. It was a rich enough neighborhood that the police wouldn't suspect us of hiding there, but not rich enough that it would've raised red flags to the neighbors._

_NV: How could the White Fang afford something like that?_

_BB: Well, when you're one of the largest organized crime outfits and narcoterrorist organizations in Remnant, a white-picket fence house in the 'burbs is just a small operational cost._

* * *

"He's upstairs, in the study," Ilia said. Ilia began walking up the stairs to the dark, unlit 2nd floor. Blake paused, her face flush with worry, before she swallowed her fears and began following Ilia up the stairs.

The stairs creaked with each step, the crackling of old wood causing the hair on the back of Blake's neck to stand straight up. Her cat ears folded instinctively with fear as she followed Ilia into the darkness, her eyes adjusting to the pitch-black hallway on the second floor. At the end of the hallway, a door was slightly ajar, the smallest sliver of light emanating from it. Blake was Ilia walk to the door, open it gently, and then beckon Blake to come, which she did silently.

As Blake rounded the corner of the doorframe, she was greeted with the familiar sight of Adam's study. The room was poorly lit, the only light source coming from a dim, warm lamp on Adam's desk, the shelves behind lined with books and walls plastered with maps of Remnant. Seated behind the wooden desk was Adam himself, seated with his hand resting under his chin and a smirk on his face.

As Blake entered the room, she instinctively kneeled and bowed her head.

"Brother Adam," Blake monotonously whispered.

"You can stand," Adam commanded. "Please, have a seat."

Blake stood up as Ilia pulled a chair up across from Adam. Blake hesitated, gave one last cautionary glance to Ilia, and then sat across from Adam. Ilia retreated into the far corner of the room behind Blake, sinking into the room's shadows.

"How are you enjoying your new post, Blake?" Adam asked.

"It's...working out fine," Blake answered timidly.

Adam nodded silently.

"You know...when you said that you wanted to branch out from Mountain Glenn, I was scared at first," Adam said. "I was scared that you were leaving Mountain Glenn because it was further from our headquarters there. Where I was."

"Adam," Blake began, "I-"

"But, Blake, in the end you made the right call transferring to the city," Adam continued, paying no mind to Blake, "because right now, we are in a crisis with our Vale chapter, with three of our brothers slain and our money taken. We cannot afford to lose face in Vale, and I need someone I can explicitly trust in Vale's police department."

Adam then leaned forward in his desk, drawing his face close to Blake. Blake could feel her throat constricting and her eyes widening from Adam's ever-encroaching presence.

"My love," Adam whispered, "I can trust you in Vale, right?"

Blake's eyes darted all across the room before she could feel herself muster up the courage to speak.

"Of course, Adam," Blake said. "You can trust me."

With Adam drawing his face closer to Blake, she could see his face and all its disgusting details. His good eye was scanning Blake from head to toe, while his scarred left eye followed, it's red glow hanging like a monster's eye hiding in the dark. Adam was close enough that she could feel every breath he took, his exhalation of air feeling like acid on her skin.

"I want to, Blake," Adam continued in his hushed tone. "but I must say, I felt betrayed by your decision to move further from me. People who love each other like we do, they don't do things like that."

Blake could feel her breathing becoming rapid, her chest rising and falling like a timid mouse.

"Adam, I-I...I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way, my love," Blake stammered. "But I assure you, my decision to leave Mountain Glenn was not to spite you, I was only acting in the interest of the cause-"

"The cause means nothing to me without you, Blake," Adam softly whispered. "I am nothing without you. The world can only change with you on my side, Blake. I understand your dedication to our fight. I admire it. But as the leader of this fight, I must know that you have my back, because that is the only way I'm strong."

Blake paused, before she nodded.

"Always and forever, my love," Blake whispered timidly in return.

A small, wicked smile crept onto Adam's face before he leaned back in his chair, giving Blake space to breath again.

"I'm glad to hear that you're still with us, sister," Adam said. "You have no idea how reassuring it is to me to hear that."

Adam sighed, before he lowered his head, and then returned his gaze to Blake.

"You must be confused as to why Ilia was the one to pick you up in Vale," Adam said. "I regret to inform you that Yuma Trifoli and the Albain brothers are not the only casualties we suffered in Vale."

Confusion crept onto Blake's face, before her face went blank with recognition as to what Adam was implying.

"Unfortunately, Tukson, in his final days, decided that he would betray the Faunus brotherhood that had taken him in when he was a lowly wretch by disseminating information about the whereabouts of our capital transport vans," Adam said. "In doing so, he took the lives of three of our brothers. Therefore, the only way he could be redeemed was through death."

"You…" Blake whispered. "You killed Tukson?"

"I did," Ilia firmly proclaimed behind Blake. Blake turned around to see Ilia's stone-cold face staring back at her.

"I understand that you've been assigned to investigate the murders of our brothers in Forever Fall," Adam continued. "You'll likely be informed of Tukson's disappearance in the coming days. If you're chosen to investigate it, it would be in our best interest if you found no evidence regarding his whereabouts. And as you continue to look into these murders, I'd also like to know your findings on the case. If there is someone operating in the shadows to conspire against us, I want to know. Especially if it comes from within our ranks. Do you understand?"

Blake stared at Adam, before she nodded to show she understood.

"Since we are suddenly removed four brothers in our Vale chapter, I also need more people I can trust in Vale," Adam said. "I've asked Ilia to reside in Vale for a while and handle our operations for the time being."

"Ilia?" Blake asked, before turning back towards to face her. Ilia only returned Blake's glance with a sneer.

"Where the red tape of the VKPD's bureaucracy prevents you from carrying out more clandestine acts, Ilia will be there to go where you cannot," Adam said. "She'll also be a direct line from Vale back to me at our Mountain Glenn headquarters. As you find information about who carried out this attack, you'll be updating Ilia, and she will be updating me."

"Just think of me as Adam for the time being," Ilia hissed to Blake, venom dripping in her words.

"Now, since we're both here…" Adam said before leaning back in his chair, "Tell us what information you have for us so far."

Blake paused, gulping, before she curtly nodded and opened her mouth to speak.

"We know that whoever did this executed the Albains at close range after they shot Yuma and made them crash. They took the bearer bonds in the back, and left the drugs and cash, which has been impounded by the VKPD. We're hoping they'll come to a fence in Vale to flip the bonds, in which case we'll have a lead on who they are."

"Any word yet on who it could possibly be?" Adam asked.

"No," Blake said. "But we've talked to Torchwick in Vale, and Junior Xiong next. We've instructed them to keep a lookout."

"Torchwick…" Adam muttered before rubbing his chin. "Be wary of him. He's a friend of the White Fang, but where his true allegiances lie...it remains to be seen."

Adam then stood up from his desk.

"Good work," Adam said, before he walked over to Blake and knelt down next to her, bringing his face dangerously close to her again. Blake could feel her whole body beginning to seep with fear.

"My love, as you continue to fight for us in Vale, I hope that you're longing for me as much as I Long for you. I think about you every second, and I cannot bear to think about what I would do if I were to lose you. I'm scared of who I might become," Adam said, in a firm, hushed tone. "Please, my love, do not forget about me."

Adam then leaned in and planted his lips onto Blake's with a kiss. Blake could feel the air being sucked from her lungs, as if Adam was breathing poison into her body instead to replace the oxygen. She could feel the pit in her stomach widening and her heart beating rapidly in her chest, not with love or excitement, but rather: pure fear.

Adam removed himself from Blake and then turned to Ilia.

"Ilia, ensure that Blake returns to Vale safely," Adam said curtly before seating himself back down at his desk. Ilia silently nodded.

"Come on, let's go," Ilia said before opening the door once again for Blake. As Blake stood up, her legs felt like jelly, almost as if she was about to wobble over the minute she stood up, but she resolved to stand up straight, knowing full well what happened to those who displayed weakness in front of Adam. Blake quickly turned and said not a single word to Adam as she left the study.

* * *

_BB: I was 21 when I first became a Mountain Glenn Police Officer. It was only a year before they made me a detective. It didn't hurt that the commissioner of Mountain Glenn PD was in the pocket of the White Fang to promote me. But ever since I was little, my heart and my allegiances belonged to the White Fang._

_LR: What made you join the White Fang to begin with?_

_BB: I was a young kid in Menagerie, and at the time, the White Fang were still freedom fighters. I was stupid. And every other kid I knew sympathized with them, if they already hadn't joined them. I thought that we were going to fight the good fight. When I first moved to the Mountain Glenn slums, where they moved all the Faunus after they carpet-bombed Menagerie, I saw how we were treated by humans. My parents fought in the courthouses and the picket lines for a better life for us, but playing honest wasn't going to get us anywhere. The White Fang was willing to play dirty, give the humans a taste of their own poison._

_NV: So you were okay with them walking into the human side of towns and shooting up innocent men, women and children?_

_BB: I thought that we would do what was only necessary to make sure that we would be treated as equals, nothing more. Under my mother and father, we weren't getting anything done. Under Sienna, we were beginning to scare the humans. But once she got locked up and Adam took the helm, it was clear that he didn't want us to get even. He wanted us standing over human corpses in the street. Of course, the only way he was ever going to get us there was through controlling the rackets in the cities. Soon, he caved to vice, and all he cared about was the money and the bloodshed, and he forgot about our fight for justice. That's how the White Fang became what they are today: nothing but bloodthirsty criminals in chase of the almighty dollar, who might bomb a human train or bank here and there just to save face._

_LR: It seems like you disenfranchised with the White Fang's direction in the last few years. Why didn't you just leave?_

_BB: [Scoffs] There's no "leaving" the White Fang. When my mother and father left, he was exiled back to the wastelands of Menagerie. And that was leniency, compared to how Adam dealt with traitors. He needed an iron grip on all he controlled. And that included me._

* * *

If the drive to Adam felt long, the drive back to Vale felt even longer.

The black bag over Blake's head felt even more suffocating, and with Ilia completely silent on this drive, Blake was left alone with her thoughts, something she'd rather not deal with in the slightest.

She wasn't as dumb as Adam thought she was. She knew why he sent Ilia over. When Blake initially suggested that she would better suit the White Fang's operation by embedding with the VKPD, she was surprised with Adam's openness to letting her go. But in reality, he was simply waiting for the right opportunity to send over someone to watch over her. Adam would never let Blake out of his grasp, she should've known that. But Adam obviously wasn't fully knowledgeable about the situation, given that he sent _Ilia_ of all people to supervise Blake..

Blake could feel the car roll to a stop, and the sound of Ilia shutting the engine off. Blake grabbed the bag off her head and felt the sting of the singular light post illuminating the dusty theater lot hitting her eyes. Ilia didn't say a word as opened the driver side door, stepped out, and then slammed it shut. Blake followed suit and exited the car after Ilia.

"So…" Ilia said, before trailing off. "We're going to have to get used to each other, over the next few weeks, until we resolve this shit."

"I suppose," Blake said. "I'll update you in a week when I get more information."

"Or…" Ilia said, stopping Blake in her tracks. "You give me another update now."

Blake turned to Ilia, a look of confusion on her face.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"Well, it's been 5 years since we've last seen each other," Ilia said, dropping her tone into a sultry whisper. "Asides from the case, there's got to be some other things that we need to... _catch up on._ "

Blake shook her head to Ilia's response.

"Ilia…" Blake began, inflecting her voice to show her hesitation. She instantly saw Ilia's face drop.

"Oh," Ilia said softly. Blake grimaced and felt her heart drop before she shook her head one more time, and then took a deep breath.

"You know what, Ilia…" Blake said, before turning to Ilia one more time. "Where are you staying?"

Ilia's face perked up instantly in surprise, which quickly gave way to a sly grin on her face.

"The Ritz, in downtown. Follow my car, Kitty." Ilia said sensually before she hopped into her Cutlass and the engine of the car roared to life.

Ilia knew that Blake's old pet name would've riled Blake up, which made Blake feel a twang of annoyance at Ilia, knowing that every step Ilia was taking now was because she knew that she had Blake wrapped around her finger. Blake opened her car door and followed Ilia out of the lot.


	5. Double Lives in Single Beds

"Listen, I'm just concerned as to why she's showing back up in Dad's life now, of all times," Yang said before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Well, I guess she must've heard about the stroke, you know," Ruby said, tracing her index finger around the rim of her glass, which currently housed a sickly-orange, pulpy mess of orange juice.

Despite the fact that Ruby could order any sugary drink she wanted, like a pop or milkshake, she always chose orange juice whenever she showed up to have Rose-Xiao Long's traditional monthly brunch at Angelo's Diner in the heart of Vale's residential district. Yang wasn't sure, but if she had to guess, Ruby only got orange juice because she knew she would get an earful from her father about not being healthy if she ordered anything else.

Yang quickly glanced over in the direction of the restrooms, verifying that her father has yet to exit from the Men's room, and that the two sisters would have a few minutes to discuss before he returned.

"Look, I'm just worried that Mom's up to something, like usual. I mean, she's been gone at least 20 years at this point, we only see her once or twice a year, but then all of a sudden, once Dad gets sick, she starts to poke her head in?" Yang asked, clearly frustrated.

"Well, if Raven wanted something out of Dad, she wasn't showing it," Ruby replied with a shrug. "She just came to Dad's house on Patch, asked him how he was doing, and dropped off one of those really nice bottles of wine from Mistral that Dad likes."

"Ruby, Mom's a fuckin' crook," Yang spat. "That's how she works. She puts on a nice face, acts like she's family, and she stabs you in the fucking back and twists the handle."

"I dunno about that one, Yang," Ruby said. "She just said she wanted to drop in, tell Dad that she's here for him if he needs anything, and don't hesitate to call her."

Yang shook her head, clearly frustrated.

"Ruby, you really believe that?" Yang replied, exacerbated.

"Yang…" Ruby softly said, "Sometimes...people change, y'know."

"No," Yang said, shaking her head again. "Not Mom. 20 years, and whenever I see her, she still hasn't changed. Not one bit."

Yang quickly gulped down another sip of coffee, and then grimaced.

"You gotta trust me on this one, Ruby," Yang said. "You don't know the side of Mom that I have to deal with. Keep in mind, I got access to all the case files on her, and if you heard some of the shit about her in there, you'd be fuckin' livid."

"Listen, Yang, I don't think Raven's coming back to the house anyways," Ruby said, "and I don't think Dad's dying to see her again too, y'know? She was just poking her head in, and then she was on her way."

Yang sighed, and then looked Ruby straight in the eyes.

"Okay, Ruby...I believe you, I believe you," Yang wearily drawled. "But, you're the one in charge of the house for now, with Dad's stroke and me with my arms full with this fuckin' case. You gotta promise me you can take care of Dad, you hear me? And that means looking out for people like Raven."

Ruby nodded.

"Don't worry, Yang!" Ruby pipped. "I got it all under control. Plus, Dad's getting stronger and stronger each day. I bet he'll fully recover by the time I get put back into rotation and deploy again."

In the corner of Yang's eye, she spotted the men's restroom door swing open, and out stepped a man in tan cargo shorts and a beige, short-sleeved, button-up shirt. The man had wrinkles around his eyes, and his mop of blonde hair peppered with greys. He hobbled along towards Yang and Ruby, using a cane to support his right leg as he approached the sisters.

"About time, Dad!" Ruby said before Taiyang grunted and waved off Ruby.

"Ruby, did you pay for the bill?" Taiyang asked.

"I tried," Ruby moaned, "but Yang beat me to it, and when I tried to tell her that you told me to pay for the bill, she wouldn't listen-"

"Yang!" Taiyang said in a firm tone. "I thought I told you I'd pay today!"

"Dad, don't worry," Yang said as she scooted herself out of the booth and grabbed her overcoat from off the booth's coat hook, "I got it this time. Save your money, old man."

Taiyang sighed, then flashed a small smile to Yang, a twinkle in his eyes, before bringing his right hand onto Yang's cheek and giving it two endearing taps with his palm. Yang brushed away Tai's hand with a giggle.

"Stubborn as always," Tai said, before Ruby approached behind Tai and helped him slip into his coat.

"Ruby, make sure you get Dad back to Patch safely, alright?" Yang said. "I know you drive like a goddamn maniac, I want you to take it slow with him in the car."

"Don't worry, Yang," Ruby said, before grinning, "I got here safe, remember? I can get us back home in one piece."

Yang nodded, before giving Ruby a quick hug. She then turned to Taiyang and gave him two quick pats on his good shoulder.

"Yang, thanks for coming," Tai said. "Your sister and I miss you, y'know?"

"I know, I know," Yang muttered. "Once I'm through with this case, I'll have more time to visit you guys. Hopefully I'll have time to see Ruby before they ship her off again."

Tai nodded slowly, before turning his gaze to meet Yang's eyes.

"You know how proud I am of you two, right?" Tai said softly. Yang smiled and shook her head, before she pursed her lips, trying to figure out the right way to say what she needed to say.

"Look, Dad...if you need help with anything, anything at all, promise you'll come to me or Ruby first, okay?" Yang said.

"Of course I would," Tai said, a slight look of confusion on his face. Yang nodded in understanding, before she gave one final pat on Tai's shoulder.

"I'll see you later, old man," Yang said.

* * *

_YXL: My father was a veteran of the VKPD for over 20 years. You've probably seen the articles about him by now. They even had a photo of him in our department's wall of recognition. I had to pass by his face, every time I came into work. [Laugh] Yeah, I bet he could've been commissioner if he had tried hard enough at his job._

_PN: Could you tell us a little more about your sister, Ruby Rose?_

_YXL: What the fuck you need to know about my sister for?_

_PN: Detective, I assure you it's pertinent for our investigation._

_YXL: [Sigh] Let me guess. You already tried to look up information about Ruby and you couldn't find much except for a birth certificate, some school records and a certificate of enlistment in the Vale Marines._

_PN: Yes._

_YXL: Well, that's because every other facet of her life is classified. She's in the marines, sure, but she's high up there, y'know? Like, some spec ops shit. She couldn't even tell me or Dad what she was even doing, she said. Look, I'll throw you two a bone right now, and just tell you this: don't bother trying to look up records on her, because they're probably sitting in some top-secret clearance office, and they're sure as shit not gonna declassify it to you guys. But I promise, she didn't have a part of any of this. Not with me, Blake or the whole White Fang case. She was…_

_JA: ...She was what, detective?_

_YXL: ...I guess she was just collateral damage in this whole thing. From what Blake and I did. She shouldn't have gotten hurt, but, well, she was my sister. So it was bound to happen._

* * *

Blake was sitting in her bathrobe in the chair closest to the hotel room's window, looking out at the city below. Ilia's room was on the 27th floor, overlooking the whole downtown district coming alive underneath. Taxis and cars dotted the roads underneath, their horns blaring through the early morning quietness. An El train passed somewhere nearby, it's squealing brakes piercing through the hotel room walls.

Blake heard the door of the bedroom open behind her, and saw Ilia standing in the doorframe, still in her underwear.

"Morning," Blake said softly.

"Mornin'" Ilia muttered in return, before rubbing her eyes and walking to the bathroom across the room.

Ilia's hotel room was sleek, extravagant. The room was a suite style, and had three rooms - the main room, which had a flat screen TV, posh leather couches and a bar and kitchen; the bathroom, which had a regal porcelain tub and jacuzzi that could house at least 5; and the bedroom, which had a king-sized bed and a walk-in closet attached to it. Last night, Blake only caught a glimpse of the bathroom and spent a few minutes in the main room. The bedroom, however...Blake knew intimately.

"I didn't hear you get out of bed," Ilia called from the bathroom as Blake's cat ears perked up at the sound of the shower faucet hissing to life. "What time did you get up?"

"Around 5," Blake shouted into the bathroom.

"5? That early?" Ilia asked. "It's 9 now. What were you doing this whole time you were awake?"

"Just...sitting here, watching out the window," Blake responded.

"...you're easily amused, huh?" Ilia responded from the bathroom with a chuckle.

"I've never been this high up in a building before, Ilia," Blake responded. "They never had tall buildings like this in Menagerie or Mountain Glenn."

There was a pause from the bathroom, the only sound coming from the pattering of the shower water onto the floor, before Blake heard Ilia's voice resonate out again.

"Fair enough. I guess the charm of 'the view from the penthouse' wore off for me a long time ago, y'know?" Ilia responded.

Blake understood exactly what Ilia meant. As the White Fang's most clandestine operative, Ilia was constantly bouncing around from continent to continent, barely remaining in one place long enough to call somewhere home. That likely meant having to get used to lots of hotel rooms - lavish but empty.

* * *

"Thanks for coming," Ilia cooed seductively as Blake buttoned up her collared shirt. Ilia was now wearing a bathrobe, a towel wrapped around her sopping wet hair and a coffee mug in her hand. Blake didn't turn or respond to Ilia's comment, simply continuing to button up her shirt, a cold look on her face.

"Last night was fun," Ilia continued, "It's been too long since we've seen each other."

"Yeah," Blake responded coolly, now grabbing her black sports coat and slipping it on. Ilia's face began to drop and her lips pursed, before quickly adopting another grin when Blake turned to her.

"I'm glad I get to work with you again, Blake," Ilia said softly. Blake gave Ilia a quick nod before bending over on the floor to pick up her belt.

"Me too," Blake said, coldness continuing to inflect in her tone. Ilia paused, a troubled look on her face, before she sighed.

"When do you think we can see each other again?" Ilia asked.

"I'll be back in a week or so when I have more information to give you," Blake responded. Ilia nodded silently, her brow furrowing.

"You know...we don't just have to meet when you have something to report," Ilia said.

"Ilia…" Blake sighed, "We can't do this all the time. What if Adam-"

"Blake, fuck Adam," Ilia spat. "He's in Mountain Glenn. We're by ourselves here in Vale. He wouldn't know."

Ilia set her coffee mug on the counter and then came behind Blake as Blake fumbled to get her belt buckled. Ilia wrapped her arms around Blake's waist and pressed the side of her face into Blake's shoulder blades, nuzzling her skin with her nose. Ilia's skin was still warm from the shower, and her breath was light and ticklish against Blake's back, causing Blake's cat ears to stand straight up.

Blake closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of Ilia pressed up against her, held tight in her arms. This is how it was a few years ago, before Blake decided to run. The closeness she was enjoying with Ilia now was the same warmth she felt back then, it's familiarity causing an almost wave of relaxation and relief within Blake.

Still, it was only a brief moment before Blake remembered the job at hand. Opening her eyes, she gently removed Ilia's hands from around her waist and grabbed her phone and keys from off Ilia's counter.

"I have to go, Ilia," Blake said softly. "I'm already late."

"Oh," Ilia said in a hoarse whisper, hurt inflecting in her tone, before she cast her eyes downward.

"I'll see you again in a week," Blake said after turning to Ilia.

"I'll see you then," Ilia said softly, refusing to meet Blake's eyes. Blake pursed her lips, but realizing that there was nothing she could do, she slipped on her shoes and walked out of the hotel room.

* * *

_NV: No birth certificate, no school records, no criminal records, nada. Ilia Amintola, on paper, never existed in this world. You're practically the only one who can tell us who she is, so you bet your ass if you want immunity, you better start giving us the low down on her._

_BB: [sigh] Ilia and I grew up together. She was an orphan, and she was looking out for herself in Menagerie, then in Mountain Glenn when all the Faunus were airlifted out. Adam took us in with the rest of the kids in Mountain Glenn, and that was that. And we grew close, sure. It wasn't till we were 19 or so when we first started 'dating.' But while I was working to become a detective and become ingrained in society, Ilia operated outside of it. Her role had her traveling all over Remnant, and, I guess, cause of that, we drifted apart._

_NV: What was her role, exactly?_

_BB: If the White Fang needed someone gone, or if they needed a jury threatened, or a business bombed, they used Ilia. She was a Faunus, but other than that, there was nothing to connect her back to the White Fang. If she got caught or killed, all they had to do was deny knowing her, and that was that._

_LR: So an expendable asset?_

_BB: At first, yes. But she was good at what she did. She left no traces at crime scenes. Never left witnesses, never got sloppy. If she killed someone, she did it clean, in a secluded area, and wiped down the evidence for her prints. Most of the time, she never even left a body or weapon for the cops to find._

_LR: What can you tell me about your personal relationship with her, when she met you again that night in Vale?_

_BB: It's a cliche to say, but it was complicated, really._

_LR: What about her relationship with Adam Taurus?_

_BB: [Sigh] Once again, complicated. Adam always liked to keep the girls in his inner circle in the White Fang close. Uncomfortably close, really. Ilia was no exception. We were all playthings to Adam in the end. So, in a way, Ilia was just like me - someone hopelessly dancing from Adam's puppet strings, having to look over our shoulders for him for the rest of our lives._

_NV: Was she resentful of Adam because of that?_

_BB: She hated Adam, sure, but I don't think it was just that. I mean, Ilia wasn't naive. She grew up alone on the streets of Menagerie, getting fucked over by street hustlers and liars left and right, so she knew long before I did how cruel people can be - how they can betray you after they say they got your back. So, I think she just accepted that Adam was going to be another in a long line of people who took advantage of her. That's the reason I thought she hated Adam for, at first._

_NV: So why did she really hate Adam, then?_

_BB: I guess...I guess she hated Adam because he was the only thing keeping her from me. Looking back, I was the only family she had growing up in Menagerie, the only one who stood by her side. But then Adam pulled the wool over my eyes, told me he loved me and he would never let me go...At the end of the day, amidst all the killing and the bullshit, she was looking for someone who would love her back. And, at the end of the day, I don't think she ever found that person._

* * *

Yang was sitting hunched over in the driver's seat, her wrists resting on the top of the steering wheel and her hands hanging haphazardly off it. Her eyes were hidden underneath her aviator sunglasses, her signature toothpick stuck between her lips. She wore a cold expression on her face, her focus aimed solely on one thing - the entrance to Junior's club.

Blake sat next to Yang, similarly displaying no emotions underneath her own pair of sleek, black sports sunglasses. However, her gaze was elsewhere, staring out the window at cars as they passed down the side street that Blake and Yang were currently parked on.

Junior's club was situated a block north of the river, smack dab in the middle of the industrial district. For blocks upon blocks surrounding Junior's club, the only buildings that could be found were drab warehouses, truck loading bays, clunking metal foundries and chop shops. The streets and residents similarly reflected the grimy, cold nature of the borough, as the sidewalks were littered with soot and trash, trodden on by humans and faunus alike with cold, cracked and wrinkled faces and grubby garb as they marched back from their lunch breaks to whatever industrialized, mechanical hell they worked at.

Amidst all the poverty and starkness, however, stood Junior's club, _Club Golden_. The only building on the block that looked like it was built sometime in the last decade, the club had a sleek, post-modernist style face complete with a neon sign hanging from its awning and floodlights to illuminate the face with all colors of the rainbow. Both of these were shut off, however, as it was the middle of the day.

"You think he's here?" Blake asked.

"I'd bet it," Yang muttered, keeping her gaze fixed on the entrance of the building.

As soon as Yang finished speaking, Yang spotted a man walking out of the entrance, decked out in an elegant black waistcoat and red tie. He was wearing amber designer shades, had a short buzzcut and beard, and currently had both his hands to his mouth. An orange glow resonating from it indicated he was lighting a cigarette. Flanking him on both sides were two young women, both with black hair and wearing sleek suits, one of them a deep red and the other cyan.

"That's him," Yang said, raising a finger, "The fucker in the middle."

"Let's go," Blake said.

Both exited the car at the same time and slammed the car door shut. Yang quickly reached up to her mouth and threw her toothpick to the side as she began to stride towards Junior.

"Hey, Junior!" Yang called out. Junior turned his head to the sound of his voice being called once, then did a double-take once he recognized who was seeking him, his eyes practically popping out of his head.

"Oh, FUCK!" Junior yelled out before he quickly turned on his heel and began running in the opposite direction of the two detectives, down the sidewalk.

"HEY!" Yang called out, suddenly charging forward.

Blake stood in complete shock for a split second, until the sight of the two girls trailing Junior turning their heads towards Yang, then reaching into their jacket pockets and flicking out slender, black collapsible batons quickly snapped her back into reality. Her adrenaline kicking in, Blake followed Yang and dashed forward.

"Stop them!" Junior called out from down the street, his voice echoing as he continued sprinting away.

Yang spotted the cyan-suit girl raise her right hand as she approached her, preparing to strike Yang with her baton. Yang quickly grappled the girl's baton hand with her left hand, while quickly striking the girl with a deft right hook planted square across the girl's temple. Yang felt the girl's wrist go limp in her left hand as the girl dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

In the corner of Yang's eye, she spotted the red-suited girl fast approaching. As Yang braced for the girl's vicious baton-attack, she saw a blur of black as Blake dove, tackling the red-suited girl to the ground with a loud _umpfh_. Yang saw the two briefly wrestle before Blake reached into her holster and whipped her Glock into the girl's face, before Blake turned her head to Yang, her eyes wide open with fury.

"Go after him!" Blake called out, before quickly turning her attention to Junior's accomplices. Before Yang could speak, she felt her feet carrying her down the sidewalk, madly dashing to Junior, who had just rounded the street corner in the distance.

"Stop!" Yang called out as she practically leapt down the sidewalk towards Junior. They had at least 20 feet between each other now, but Yang felt herself gain the upper hand as she saw him growing closer and closer. Yang's lungs were practically screaming, desperately trying to suck in cool air with each step as she ran after Junior. Still, a sudden burst of energy was all it took for Yang to close the distance between her and Junior as the two were now running out onto the sidewalk of a busy street. Dodging confused passerbys, Yang determined that she was in distance to strike, and taking a deep breath, she lunged forward headfirst, just barely grabbing hold of Junior's legs and causing him to tumble to the ground. The concrete felt like a train hitting Yang's body as she crashed into it with Junior. Still, the pain was nothing compared to the fire burning in Yang as she clawed her way across the ground to meet Junior face-to-face. When she was finally eye-level with Junior, she could see up-close what Junior she had reduced Junior to: a sniveling, cowardly wreck.

"B-Blondie?" Junior stuttered, his eyes wide and darting around.

Yang responded to Junior's confusion with a swift sucker punch straight to the nose, snapping Junior's glasses in two. Junior yelped out a high-pitched scream of shock as he brought his hands to cover his face.

"What the fuck?" Junior cried out, exacerbated. Onlookers were beginning to crowd around the two.

"Howdy, Junior!" Yang called out, standing up before kicking Junior twice in the ribs, causing him to groan out with each blow.

"Stop! Stop!" Junior cried out desperately. Yang bent down and picked him up by the collar.

"You thought you could run away from me, you dumb motherfucker?" Yang asked, before giving Junior another right hook, causing him to yelp, then spit out blood. Disgusted onlookers began to shield their eyes and flinch at the scene of violence.

"Blondie, I-I'm sorry, I didn't know-"

"What? Didn't know what? Huh? Didn't know it was me? Bullshit," Yang spat, bringing her face close to Junior, her breathing heavy and rapid. "Why the fuck were you running?"

"I'm sorry, Blondie, I saw you and then I panicked-"

"Why'd you feel the need to panic when you saw me, Junior?" Yang said, a mocking friendly tone in her voice. "We're all friends here, right? Friends don't need to run away from each other, right?"

Junior said nothing in reply, his bulging eyes indicating he was too shocked to form words in his mouth. Yang tightened her grip around his collar and brought her face closer to his, now glaring daggers into him.

" _Right, motherfucker?_ " Yang growled. Junior nodded sheepishly.

"You're not gonna run again, right? Cause if you do, I'm gonna run you down again and this time, I'm gonna squish your head like a fuckin' grape, you hear me?"

Another timid nod from Junior.

Yang let go of Junior, causing him to drop to the ground with a whimper. Junior's eyes were still wide with fear, but his nose was now bleeding profusely, causing a red streak to run down from his nostrils, over his mouth and into his beard.

"Listen, you dumb son of a bitch," Yang said. "I just wanted to fucking talk to you, I'm not here to arrest you. You had no reason to run. Now, you're either gonna pick your ass up and walk it back to your club, and we're gonna talk there like normal, mature adults. Or, I'm gonna have to crack your fuckin' skull open right here and drag your ass back to the station, where we'll talk. Either way, you and I are gonna have a nice chat. Which is it gonna be?"

Junior paused, staring off into the distance, clearly processing what Yang was threatening, before he grimaced.

"Okay," Junior muttered. Junior groaned, and then slowly began to stand up, wobbling as he did so. Yang rolled her eyes and then grabbed ahold of Junior's left arm with a death grip, causing him to yelp in pain once more before she started to drag him back to the club. The sound of shoes pounding against the pavement in the distance caused Yang to snap her head towards the sound, quickly spotting Blake dashing towards the two before she came to a halt as she got closer.

"What the hell just happened?" Blake asked, a shocked look on her face.

"Blake, meet Junior Xiong," Yang growled as she continued to drag Junior towards his club. "Junior, meet Blake."

Blake watched in a mixture of awe and horror as Yang continued to drag the whimpering, bloody mess of a man back the way the two came from.

* * *

_JA: Was it really necessary to beat Junior Xiong up?_

_YXL: Okay, alright, maybe I flew off the handle a bit. But you gotta realize, Junior Xiong is the biggest fuckin' worm in Vale. Period. If it wasn't me, it would most certainly be someone else._

_JA: How, exactly, was he the "biggest worm in Vale?"_

_YXL: He owns nightclubs, bars, all that shit. Anything nightlife. And while of course a few of them were indeed fronts for some criminal operations to launder their dirty Lien into clean cash, Junior's biggest commodity was what he knew. This guy had celebrities, VIP's, all kinds of high rollers passing through his club, as well as big-time gangsters from almost all the outfits from Vale, both high and low-level. Ply those motherfuckers with champagne on the house and designer drugs, and you got them spilling their deepest, darkest secrets. His clubs were magnets for blackmail information on the rich and powerful, or tips on locations or details on potential scores for thieves, and you bet your ass he sold that shit to the highest bidders. Luckily for us, he wasn't above acting as informant for the VKPD if it meant keeping him out of jail._

_JA: Was that why you visited Junior Xiong?_

_YXL: Well, the guy was also a fence, but a shit-poor one at that. He didn't have the connections Roman had, and add on the fact that Roman didn't like the guy, Junior all of a sudden was blacklisted by all the other major fences in Vale, and he had virtually no one he could offload stolen shit to. Still, it was worth a shot to see if he knew anything about the bonds, or if not, we could pick his brain for any information that might've flowed through his club._

* * *

Yang learned from Junior that the two girls that she and Blake had stomped out were named Melanie and Miltia Malachite, bouncers for _Club Golden_. Their names didn't ring any bells, which signified to Yang that the two were probably just hired by Junior, or they were relatively small-fry in the vast criminal underworld.

The two of them were now sitting at the far end of the bar, glaring at Blake and Yang, who chose the seats closest to the club's entrance. Both were glaring intensely at Blake and Yang with their eyes - well, in Melanie's case, her singular eye, as her left eye had been essentially welded shut from the bruising courtesy of Yang's right hook.

Yang had Junior's word that he would tell the sisters not to attack Yang and Blake, and Junior had Yang's word that if they tried to assault them again, Yang didn't even have to warn them before she would shoot.

"Look, I just want to offer my most sincere, honest apology to you two," Junior said as he poured two shots of whiskey on the other side of the bar. Junior was a sight to behold - his cheek was beginning to swell up, and plugged in both his nostrils were two dangly pieces of tissue, now beginning to stain red.

"You see, I, uh...I didn't know it was you, Yang. At first, I mean. You know, there's this senator's daughter who comes here every so often, and she's blonde too. And she really likes to make a big scene every time she's here, and the last time, I had to kick her out, so I thought you were her, and you were coming-"

"Junior, just...shut the fuck up, alright?" Yang said, causing Junior to freeze and grimace, before grabbing her shot glass and slamming down the whiskey. The shot was refreshing, just the thing Yang needed to loosen up after having to chase down one of the biggest weasels she knew, and not being allowed to just shoot him then and there.

"Look, We know you know why we're here, given that you tried to take off running from us," Blake said.

"The three dead up in the woods from the White Fang?" Junior asked.

"Bingo," Yang said. "and you trying to play Road Runner with us just now has pretty much confirmed you as a person of interest in this crime."

"Wha-wait, hold on," Junior said, nervously chuckling. "You can't be serious, right? I had nothing to do with those murders, I was here at the club that night. You can check my security feeds, I was right here-"

"We never implied you were the one who pulled the trigger, fuckwit," Yang said. "We're just saying that you might know something."

"And, Mr. Xiong," Blake added in, "if you do know something, it'll be to the VKPD's great appreciation if you shared that information with us. We'd make note of your cooperation in the investigation as an anonymous informant."

"Anonymous informant?" Junior asked, his brows arched in curiosity.

"C'mon, Junior," Yang said, "I know your job as the town's rumor mill is going to be a lot harder if people know you're a rat fuck. I'm just looking for a name to tie with the shooter, or what outfit they were a part of, or where they were headed, whatever. You give us something, and we'll protect your identity."

Junior paused, and then shook his head in hesitation.

"Look, Yang, I really don't know anything-"

"Bullshit," Yang firmly spat. "Bullshit, motherfucker, you know something. Everybody on the news was talking about this, and everybody on the street was talking about this, so there had to be at least somebody talking about the murders in your club after the whole thing went down."

"Look," Yang said as she leaned over the bar, her eyes burning with fire, "I'm not walking out the door unless I got one of two things: either a tip or lead from you, or I leave here with you, where I'll drag you down the to the station in handcuffs and put you in an interrogation room for 10 hours straight."

Yang leaned back in her seat.

"Either way, you lose, motherfucker. Right now, you get to choose how you want to lose."

Junior paused, and then turned towards Yang, a troubled look in his eyes.

"Alright...I heard something small, but it's something," Junior relented. "You're not gonna like it though. You specifically, Yang."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked. Junior sighed.

"Day after the triple murder, some of Salem's people roll through to the VIP lounge upstairs. One of the waiters who were looking after them for the night overheard them talking about the robbery," Junior said. "Apparently, even though Forever Fall is at least 100 miles out of Vale, outside of Salem Mob turf, any robbery that happens up there unofficially needs to be greenlit by Salem first, and if it does, she wants some of the profit kicked up to her as a show of good will."

"Salem?" Yang asked incredulously. "When the fuck did the old lady decide she wanted to take over a collection of trees?"

" _Unofficially_ , like I said," Junior replied. "She's trying to expand her reach, but you and I both know who the hicks up there actually pay respect to."

Yang grimaced.

"So, does the Salem Mob know who hit that van?" Blake asked.

"No, they don't," Junior continued, "and because of that, they were pissed. I mean, you two already know that the Salem Mob and the White Fang have been beefing for some time now, but they never got into a shooting war. They were afraid that the Fang was gonna think the Salem Mob hit their van and killed their boys, and this was gonna touch off some gang war in Vale. Plus, whoever did hit the van didn't talk to Salem's people first, which, if you know Salem, only means she's fucking pissed that someone thinks they're above consulting with her. Plus, they feel they're owed a cut from the robbery."

"Okay, great. Very fucking interesting, Junior," Yang said sarcastically, shaking her head, "The old lady's pissed. Big fuckin' deal. But I don't fucking care about that, I care about who hit that van."

"Hold on," Junior said, putting his hands up. "I haven't finished yet. I know some shit that Salem's people doesn't know. Namely, I know crews. Two crews that have access to the firepower that was found on the scene, and who'll be inclined to keep this on the down low with Salem. First is Roman Torchwick's people, since I know that fuckin' guy hates Salem too and vice-versa, but personally, I don't think that redhead fuck has the balls to do something this brazen."

"We talked to the guy already. If he did it, he wasn't showing it. What's the other crew?" Blake asked. Junior simply grimaced in response, drawing Yang's ire once again.

"What, you shy now, motherfucker?" Yang said. "Open your mouth, who is it?"

Junior sighed.

"Look, like I said, it's just speculation," Junior said, "I don't know for sure, but…the only other crew that could've done this is Raven Branwen's crew."

There was an awkward silence as Blake's eyes darted between a meek Junior and Yang, whose face was curling into a snarl.

"...Raven?" Yang said, bewildered, "My mom?"

"Look," Junior said, "Yang,-"

"You serious?" Yang said, chuckling incredulously, "You gonna tell me she's the reincarnation of the God of Light next, too?"

"Yang, come on," Junior said, "You know your mother. She takes down scores, it's what she does. And Forever Fall's basically her turf too. I mean, a robbery in a rural, unpopulated area with little witnesses? Military-grade rifles? Bearer bonds being taken, and the loose cash being ignored? Sounds a whole lot like a professional crew who did this, one that wasn't based in any cities, and that fits your mother's MO to a tee. And god knows your mother isn't going to wait for a green light from some old mafia motherfuckers."

"I don't know, Junior," Yang said, shaking her head. "I know my Mom's cold, but she's not some fucking cowboy, she's not stupid enough to go anywhere near the White Fang, let alone drop three of their guys. Plus, I'm pretty sure she was in Patch when all of this went down-"

"So what?" Junior said. "She's got five, six people in her crew, Yang, she didn't need to be there to hit that truck."

Yang sighed, before turning to Blake, her amber eyes filled with worry.

"Yang," Blake said with a sigh, "It sounds like we should at least talk to her. Who knows, likely she'll know nothing."

Yang pursed her lips, before focusing her eyes on the empty shot glass she was strangling in her right hand. Caught in the glass's reflection was the image of Yang, her face wracked with clear uncertainty and her eyes smoldering. If Yang hadn't caught herself, she was sure she would've eventually cracked the shot glass in her hand.

"So, uh…" Junior said, "Am I off the hook?"

Yang sighed, and then flashed a tired smile to Junior.

"You know, Junior," Yang muttered, shaking her head, "I think my partner and I have had enough for today, so we're gonna say so long, and thanks for the drinks."

Yang cleared her throat, and then practically threw the shot glass down onto the bar counter. Blake set her glass down and followed suit, her eyes trailing Yang. The two walked towards the entrance of the bar without another glance towards Junior.

"Am...Am I off the hook, though?" Junior whimpered after the two, to which he received no reply.

* * *

For the past hour or so, Yang's eyes were practically glued to the naked branches of the birch tree that hung outside the window across from her desk. From where Yang was sitting, the window was nothing more than a 3 ft. x 4 ft. piece of glass in the VKPD headquarters' walls, but the random motion of the branches swaying in the wind outside was something for her to distract herself with, which she desperately needed after today's turmoil.

Yang only now just realized she was instinctively tapping a pen on her knee, bouncing it back and forth as she pinched the middle section of the pen between her right thumb and pointer finger. Blake must've noticed as well, the way that she was currently staring at Yang with inquisitive eyes while she was busy scribbling through paperwork.

"Sorry," Yang muttered, before she gently placed the pen on her desk and continued staring out the window. Yang still felt the unease of being looked at, and after glancing quickly to the corner of her eye, Yang found Blake still staring at her, eyes intent.

"You okay?" Blake said in a low tone, beating Yang out before she could tell her partner to quit staring at her.

"Yeah...Yeah, I'm good," Yang replied.

Yang pursed her lips, and then sighed, realizing that it was futile to try to brush off Blake.

"Alright," Yang said, "let's talk about the elephant in the room."

Blake perked up, her cat ears raising in slight surprise, before she gently set her pen down.

"Oh?" Blake asked quietly.

"My mother...Junior wasn't kidding when he said that she takes down scores," Yang said.

"So...do you think she did it?" Blake asked.

"I dunno," Yang said. "Part of me thinks that she did do it, but part of me knows she didn't."

"How do you know didn't do it?" Blake asked.

"Dropping three guys in a robbery isn't her style. She's smart enough to carry out a heist without firing a single bullet, so pumping a van full of lead to stop it just doesn't seem right to me. Also, apparently, she was at my family's house in Patch during the robbery."

"Can your family confirm this?"

"Pretty sure they can."

"What if she paid someone else to carry out the job?"

"Unlikely. Look," Yang sighed, "I don't know if my mother did it or not. That's where I stand personally. What's important is that she's now a person of interest in the investigation, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna turn a blind eye."

Yang shook her head, and then cocked her head off to the side, avoiding Blake's gaze.

"Y'know, a part of me hopes that she did it," Yang muttered, "so we can finally lock her up, and it'll be me who throws away the key."

Yang sighed.

"Look, Blake," Yang said, "I'm going to see her tomorrow. She runs a quarry in Anima, south of Mistral. It's a long ways from here, and I'm probably gonna have to take a flight into Mistral and then drive down."

"You could always just call someone in the Mistral Police department," Blake suggested. "It would be a hell of a lot easier than flying in yourself."

"Nah, it's better I'm there to see her myself," Yang said. "If it was some shit-ass Mistral detective, they'd fuck it up a million different ways."

"Alright, then, when should we leave tomorrow?" Blake asked.

"Not ' _we.'_ " Yang said. "Just me. You shouldn't come tomorrow."

"Why not?" Blake asked.

"Well, like you said, it's a long ways-"

"Doesn't bother me," Blake murmured. "I'm not gonna get shit done around the office tomorrow anyways."

"Blake…" Yang said, before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Look, my mom is no fucking joke. And honestly, if you don't have to get mixed up with her, it's better if you don't."

"Yang, if your mother is even the slightest bit as dangerous as you're implying, I want to be there to back you up," Blake said. "That's my choice. My decision. Don't try to stop it."

Blake only just noticed how intently she was staring into Yang's eyes, as she saw Yang's lilac eyes open wide in what could only be construed as interest, before Yang pursued her lips and turned her mouth into a hard line. Staring intently back at Blake, Yang simply nodded in return.

A sharp whistle pierced through the office and into Blake's ears, causing her to flinch at the sound. Yang, startled, turned around towards the source of the whistling, along with every other cop in the room. Yang instantly locked onto a dark-blue haired man wearing a silk crimson waistcoat.

"Well, well," the man said with a cheap grin, "If it isn't the world's largest congregation of donut-eaters."

From the way Yang met the man's greasy smile with a burning, snarling glare, Blake was able to instantly tell that whoever he was, Yang and him had history. This was all but confirmed as Blake saw the man quickly scan around the desks before singling out Yang's and Blake's, and then began sauntering over towards the duo.

* * *

_YXL: Henry-fuckin'-Marigold. Fuckin' cocksucker._

_PN: Who was Henry Marigold?_

_YXL: Who he was isn't important. What is important with him is who his Daddy was, though. Remember when I said that Weiss was working a case trying to un-fuck the bussing routes for kids in inner-city, mostly Faunus neighborhoods? Well, Marigold's Daddy was the Councilman who oversaw the measures that fucked the whole thing up in the first place. Clearly the apple didn't fall far from the tree, since Henry Marigold was just as crooked as his old man. Add in the fact that the son-of-a-bitch was elected the District Attorney of Vale Kingdom, and that he was also working as a campaign advisor for Jacques Schnee, and voila - you have the world's biggest asshole._

* * *

"Hello, Yang. Glad to see you're doing well," Henry said, snideness dripping in his voice. Henry then turned towards Blake and grinned. "Who's the affirmative action hire over here?"

"That's my fucking partner," Yang growled, "so you better show some goddamn respect."

"I'd show some goddamn respect…" Henry drawled, "...if she only had the common sense to wear something to hide those fuckin' cat ears on her head."

Henry then walked over to the side of Blake's desk, leaning over and resting his palms on its wooden surface, while Blake's glaring, amber eyes tracked Henry's movements to a tee.

"So, little miss Kitty, which is it - you one of those uppity 'loud-and-proud,' 'Faunus Pride' nutjobs who keep droning on about equal rights, or are you too stupid to realize that everyone's gonna be paying attention to these little things?" Henry said, before bringing his hand up to Blake's head and flicking her right cat ear.

"Ow!" Blake softly yelped as she winced.

Maybe she was finally fed up with Henry's cruel jokes, or maybe it was the sight of seeing her partner hurt, but Yang felt the firestorm of anger inside her that had been building up all day slip out of her control.

Yang leapt up from her chair, and in a split second she had the District Attorney's collar in her hand. Henry didn't even have time to react or say anything before Yang dragged him by the collar to the nearest wall and then slammed him against the wall, pinning him up against it.

"I've had enough, you lanky cocksucker," Yang snarled, her eyes practically burning, "You want to shit-talk us? Okay. But you put hands on my fuckin' partner? I'll break your fuckin' nose and throw you in a holding cell downstairs to bleed."

A sly grin crept across Henry's face.

"You sure you want to do that to a district attorney?" Henry smugly replied

"I don't give a shit that you're DA," Yang angrily retorted, "I'll book you for assault on an officer and no one would bat an eye. Go ahead and try me, come on."

"Yang," Blake whispered behind Yang. Yang quickly turned her head and saw Blake standing behind her, her eyes filled with concern and shock.

Yang paused, and then let go of Henry's collar before sighing. Henry simply scoffed and dusted off his collar.

"Sad day for humans when we gotta listen to animals now," Henry sneered.

Yang resisted the urge to physically wipe Henry's smile from his face and quickly turned her head back to Henry.

"Listen, jagoff, If you got something to say to us, get to it," Yang said. "Otherwise, if you're just here to work on your jokes, go to open mic at the comedy club and leave us the fuck alone."

"I do have something to say to you, but not to her," Henry said, before gesturing to Blake.

"Then let's talk outside," Yang spat, before grabbing Henry's arm and dragging him outside of the office area and into a corridor outside. The corridor was decorated with plaques and photos of different offices, and had windows overlooking the city below, and had rows of chairs and benches lined up against the wall. Henry sat himself down on one of these benches as Yang glared at him.

"So what do you want?" Yang impatiently asked.

"Look...I figured you should know that we received the voicemail you left for Jacques, regarding his daughter," Henry said. "The, uh...one where you told him to quote, unquote, 'Fuck off…'"

"Oh yeah?" Yang said, a slight, sly grin on her face. "What'd he think of it?"

"He liked it," Henry replied. "In fact, he liked it so much, he's going to publish it in the _Vale Daily._ "

Yang's smug expression instantly dropped to disbelief, having fully processed what Henry was implying.

"He's going to do fuckin' _what,_ now?" Yang asked incredulously.

"Come on, Yang," Henry said, "You're telling me you actually thought you could send us something like that, and we weren't going to do anything? You've been a thorn in Jacques' side ever since you started screwing his daughter, and you just gave us the perfect opportunity to get rid of you."

"Bullshit," Yang snapped, "You're fuckin' bluffing."

"I most certainly am not, Miss Xiao Long," Henry replied.

"Alright, then," Yang said, "Say you're not actually bluffing. So what that I sent that voicemail? Last I checked, it's not a crime to leave an angry voicemail. You think anyone's going to give a shit about what I said to him?"

"You're forgetting that at least 75% of the readers of the _Vale Daily_ are already avid Jacques Schnee supporters, and that Whitley Schnee owns the _Vale Daily_ ," Henry retorted, "We can make the editors say whatever we want about you. Hell, we can make you look like the next fuckin' Salem if we wanted to. And the idiots who read the Daily will eat that shit up, and next thing you know, you'll be public enemy #1 to Jacques' voter base."

Henry's smug grin made every pint of blood in Yang's body boil. She felt like she was on fire, a ticking time bomb, and she was about to explode. Still, at the same time, Yang felt a pit in her stomach that was rapidly growing. Deep down, Yang knew - she fucked up.

"I was thinking of adding a few extra…'facts,' to the voicemail before we published," Henry teased. "Maybe I'll take the angle that you're actually some deep-state operative, conspiring to keep the Schnees out of government, that way I might even be able to begin investigating you as a DA...then again, even that seems a little too harsh. Maybe I'll just say something like 'you got a drug habit,' or that you're cheating on Weiss. Yang, what do you think?"

"Henry," Yang said, "Why the fuck are you telling me all this?"

Henry smirked. "Thought you'd never ask," he said.

"Jacques Schnee has a lot of different friends all around Vale," Henry said, "But one place he doesn't have a friend is in the VKPD. Sure, he and commissioner Ozpin are close, but Jacques could use someone a bit lower in the ranks, someone with their boots on the ground, if you will."

"You're blackmailing me into being Jacques' insider within the VKPD?" Yang asked.

"In so many words, yes," Henry replied. "If Jacques knew you were a friend, it might just convince him to forget about those harsh words you had for him."

Yang stood speechless, still staring at Henry's sly little grin as she began to process what her options were.

"So Yang, whaddya say?" Henry asked. "Wanna be a friend to Jacques Schnee?"

Yang pursed her lips, before a friendly grin grew on her face.

"You know Henry, I, uh, told Jacques Schnee to fuck off initially…" Yang calmly said, "I, uh...I have something to say to him now."

"And?" Henry replied. Yang beckoned Henry to come closer, so that she can whisper in his ear. Henry obliged, and Yang cupped her hands to Henry's ear to begin relaying her message.

"Tell Jacques Schnee...that if he wants me to fall into his pocket, he needs to try harder than threatening me with some gossip column in a newspaper I wouldn't wipe my ass with," Yang whispered. "I'm not his puppet-not like you, and not like his son. I will never, _never_ take orders for him, and neither will his daughter. Also, since he didn't understand the first time, please tell him once again to _fuck off,_ please."

Yang then removed her hand from Henry's ear, her false grin still plastered on her face. Henry returned Yang's fake smile with one of his own, although his burning, angry eyes betrayed his outwardly-cool demeanor.

"You sure you want to do this?" Henry growled.

"One hundred percent," Yang said. "That was for Jacques. Now, this one's for you - You ever come in here again, try to blackmail me or put hands on my partner, I will single-handedly knock that fuckin' grin off your rat face and throw your ass out of the station and into oncoming traffic. You hear me, you blue-haired fuck?"

Henry shook his head, while still smiling.

"You have no idea what you've just done," Henry said, scoffing.

Without another word, Henry turned on his heel and began walking down the corridor and towards the exit of the department, all while Yang followed him with her eyes on fire.


	6. Myth of Building Bridges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Small TW for suicide in this chapter.  
> (If you're having suicidal thoughts, please know there is hope. Please call a Suicide Prevention Hotline [1-800-273-8255 in USA] or reach out to a support system. You are not alone.)

_PN: Looking back at your records and the case files, it says that officially, you two never went to Mistral. You're saying that's not the case?_

_YXL: We wanted to keep our little trip to Mistral a secret. If we brought the trip up to the department, then we'd have to wait forever for them to set up flights for us to get over there, and then they would have to coordinate with the Mistral cops, which was never a good thing because they were crooked as fuck. As risky as it was, our best bet was to fly under the radar and go see my mother on our own. The only downside was that there was no backup for us if things went south with her, which was never a good thing. The last thing you'd want to do with my mother was to go to her head-on, without a safety net. But, hey, somebody had to go see her, sooner or later._

* * *

_BB: We caught a flight early in the morning from Vale Intercontinental Airport into Haven Memorial Airport in Mistral. After that, we picked up a rental car and drove around 2, 3 hours south just to get to Raven's quarry. It was my first time in Mistral._

_NV: Really?_

_BB: Yeah._

_NV: You know Ren grew up in a village near Mistral? Koyo-no, wait, kuryo-_

_LR: Kuroyuri, Nora._

_BB: We might've passed by the village when we were diving down to the quarry._

_NV: So, what was your opinion on Mistral?_

_BB: Can I be honest?_

_NV: Thought we were already being honest. But go on._

_BB: It's...kind of a shithole. No offense._

_LR: [Laugh] None taken._

* * *

From the minute Blake stepped off the flight and into Haven International Airport, she instantly felt she was far away from Vale. Gone were the shiny, clean, brightly-lit terminals in Vale Intercontinental Airport, filled with gleaming monitors displaying flight information and families and businessmen bustling here and there to catch their flights in the nick of time. No, Haven International was a far different beast - dim fluorescent light fixtures buzzed and flickered above cracked linoleum floors that were in desperate need of polishing. Half the terminals still used archaic, LCD boards for their flight information displays, and the selection of preflight restaurants one could dine at consisted only of a Starbucks and a McDonalds. Barely a single soul was in sight as Blake and Yang trudged through the airport towards the car rental agencies on the ground floor of the airport.

The view outside towards Mistral wasn't any better. The sun was gone from the sky, covered by a gloomy, grey haze. Although the temples and castles atop the hill in the middle of the city loomed over all else with regality, Blake didn't have to look far to see the rest of the city were shabby brick buildings, the tallest ones being only 5 or 6 stories at most. One area of the city was clearly the slums, built up entirely of only ramshackle sheet-metal huts.

By the time the two had gotten to the car rental agency and dashed through filling out the paperwork, it was only 7 in the morning. Yang wasted no time finding the car - a black Crown Vic - and beginning the drive down south, with Blake close on her heels.

Like the airport, the highways leading out of the city were devoid of life; the only cars Blake saw were two or three old jalopies that Yang quickly passed up. After half an hour of traveling away from the city, Blake saw the city limits of Mistral quickly dissolve into barren marshlands. Off to the side of the road, the ground was nothing more than wet clumps of mud, and the trees were naked and barren, their branches devoid of any leaves. To Blake, it almost looked like the tree limbs were wretched, crooked fingers, clawing at the dreary grey sky. In the distance, Blake could see two or three oil refineries, their towers billowing a thick plume of smoke stretching into the sky.

* * *

_YXL: Mistral was always a working-class type kingdom. No one there ever dreamed of going anywhere, being anyone big or important. Half the continent were uninhabitable marshlands and bogs, or untamed wilderness. With no natural resources in abundance that could be taken advantage of and a lack of a suitable economic center in Mistral City, the kingdom initially turned to industry to survive. And they thrived, for a little bit. Steel mills, refineries and what-not popped up all over the continent, but all the shit they were pumping out into the atmosphere was beginning to have an effect on the soii and air. I mean, it got to the point that you couldn't go an hour outside without it getting hard to breath. A few decades later, It was too little, too late to fix the damage Mistral was doing to their land, but they went ahead anyways and shut down a lot of the industrial plants for environmental reasons. Given that a majority of the kingdom's workforce were steel and refinery workers that were now out of a job, coupled with an economy and government that was slowly falling to shit, many Mistralians turned to the only thing they could do to put food on their family's table - crime. The whole continent became a breeding ground for all sorts of characters - drug runners, traffickers, cartels and tribal warlords - if an illegal buck was to be made, it was almost certainly made in Mistral. There were a bunch of different factions and warlords popping up all over the badlands in Anima, but for the past two or three decades, there was really only one person that all the criminals there truly feared, one name that they only spoke in whispers. And I was her fuckin' daughter._

* * *

"Hey, Blake," Yang called to the passenger side, rousing her partner from her daydreaming trance, "we're almost at Raven's quarry."

"Okay," Blake quietly said.

"Listen," Yang began, "I need you to be careful when we get there, okay? We're a long way from Vale, and we got no local support on this one. If you say the wrong thing, we could end up in some serious shit. Just be careful of what you say, got it?"

"I got it," Blake firmly replied. Yang, satisfied, nodded and then returned her eyes to the road.

A few minutes later, Yang took a right off the main road they had been traveling on and cruised down a dirt path road that twisted and turned throughout a small collection of trees until it eventually opened out to a massive, expansive quarry. Blake gazed in awe at the massive crater at the center of the quarry, which was a brown, sunken hole within the ground at least 3-4 acres wide in either direction. Blake could make out yellow construction equipment humming away, with bulldozers ferrying rocks or cranes moving large pallets and metal rebar from one side of the quarry to the next. A truck was seen climbing up the side of the quarry, it's back filled with grey bedrock.

Blake shifted her gaze once again straight ahead of her as she found the two of them hurtling towards a security gate with a booth in front of him. Yang pulled up to the booth and rolled down her window as a rotund security guard with a scraggly grey beard, clad in a light blue uniform, came lumbering out of the booth and towards the driver's side of the car.

"Howdy," the guard croaked in a thick Southern accent.

"How you doin'," Yang greeted the man. "I'm here to see Raven Branwen."

"What's your business with her?" the guard interrogated.

"I'm an international assassin. I've been ordered by the powers above to terminate Raven Branwen," Yang said in a monotone voice, her voice flat and cold.

The guard stared at Yang with a confused look, before he erupted into a wheezing fit of laughter.

"Okay, joker," the guard said, "what're you really here for?"

"I'm here to pick up some 'candy,'" Yang replied. "I'd like to talk prices with Raven."

The guard then nodded in understanding.

"Alright then. She's in the vehicle bay in the main warehouse, just down the road about 100 yards, then make a right. You can't miss it," the guard said before returning to the booth. The gate suddenly rose in front of Blake and Yang, and Yang then shifted the car into drive.

* * *

_BB: 'Course I knew what 'candy' really was, it was slang for explosives. Yang told me her mother ran that quarry in Mistral as a front to buy and sell dynamite, C4, shaped charges and what-not for herself and other B &E crews. Of course, in the books it all looked okay, because a quarry's gotta have some demolition equipment on hand. But supposedly, Raven was selling north of Ⱡ2,000,000 worth of explosives per year to crews. With the money she was making from that, she probably didn't even have to hit scores. But, as I was about to learn, Raven Branwen certainly wasn't interested in kicking back and becoming some demolitions saleswoman. _

* * *

It was only about a minute drive from the quarry gates to the main warehouse. Yang had pulled the car up to a side door in the warehouse and then killed the engine. Not a second later, Yang opened the driver's side door and stepped out. Blake followed suit close behind.

"Remember, you're my fuckin' shadow," Yang said. "You don't do anything or say anything unless I say so or I do it first."

Blake nodded quickly. Yang then turned on her heel and opened the side door to the dimly-lit warehouse and stepped inside. Blake, her heart pounding in her chest, took a deep breath and then followed suit.

The inside of the warehouse only had a few lights hanging from the top. Blake's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and quickly scoped out her surroundings. Within the warehouse, there were shelves upon shelves stacked with crates and various metal machine parts. Warehouse workers clad in yellow visibility vests and hardhats barked orders at each other across the floor. In the distance, the soft _beep_ of a forklift backing up could be heard.

"C'mon," Yang beckoned to Blake as she began to briskly march through the warehouse. Blake quickly matched Yang's pace and kept at her heels as the two traversed across the floor. At the other end of the warehouse lay a large sign that said "Vehicle Bay", with a large arrow pointing towards a pair of doors.

Blake could feel her throat constricting from fear and anticipation of what lay on the other side of the door. She felt like she was walking into the lion's den, with not a single clue of what awaited her once she was actually in the thick of it. It was exactly how she felt every time she met with Adam. Still, at least she knew she wasn't marching in alone. In fact, Yang's uncharacteristic pensiveness and anger that Blake picked up on ever since the two left the airport was almost reassuring.

If Yang wasn't scared, then Blake had no reason to either. At least, that's what Blake told herself as Yang approached the set of double doors, and with a forceful thrust, threw the doors open with a loud _clang_.

Blake could see through the doors that the machine shop was a hollow, hangar-like building with a few industrial dump trucks and bulldozers being worked on in the distance. The sound of circular saws grinding and metal clanging echoed throughout the building. About 30 paces from the door in clear view was a table surrounded by a large group of people, all clad in fine silk suits and blazers, currently staring at the two detectives approaching them. Seated in the middle of all of them at the table, however, was a black-haired woman with red eyes, who was unmistakingly Raven Branwen.

* * *

_LR: What was meeting Raven Branwen like?_

_BB: Intense, that was for damn sure. She was sitting in the middle of all these people, and she just...I don't know. She looked terrifying, I guess. You had to be there for it to make sense. She was wearing this crimson suit and tie with a black shirt. She had this long, flowing black hair and these red eyes...she could mean-mug you from a mile away, and you could feel the blood beginning to drain out of your body. That's what I felt when I saw her. It felt like she could shoot a laser through your head with her eyes, the way she would look at you._

_NV: [Scoffs] Come on, now. How terrifying can one woman actually be? You ask me, I think you just scare easily._

_BB: Trust me, if you ever cross paths with Raven Branwen, you'd see that she is definitely no joke._

* * *

"Mornin', rats!" Yang bellowed as she strided towards the well-dressed group in front of her.

It only took one or two glances from most of the heads within this group to realize the firestorm coming their way, and for them to quickly turn on their heels and began briskly walking away from the table. A few even broke out into a dash away from the duo as they approached. Blake caught Yang smirking at the sight of how quickly Yang was able to break up her mother's meeting, before her face hardened.

"Nuh uh!" Yang barked, pointing a finger at her mother who had now just risen from her seat. "You, stay."

Raven paused mid-ascension, and, seeing that she had no other option but to comply, simply sat back down in her seat with a glare. Yang quickly turned her gaze to a woman in a brown suit and buzz-cut walking away.

"Baldy! You fuckin' stay, too," Yang commanded.

The woman with the buzz-cut paused in her tracks, and then turned around. The woman glared back at Yang and Blake with piercing blue eyes, and then walked back towards Raven, standing next to her side.

Yang took another 4 or 5 strides to the table Raven was sitting at before she grabbed a chair situated on the other end of Raven, flipped it around, and sat herself down in it, reverse-style. Blake grabbed another chair and sat herself in it, seated behind and to the right of Yang. Blake could see that whatever malicious glare Raven had, Yang was currently matching hers with her own, her eyes shooting daggers towards Raven and her lips pressed into a tight line.

"Hello, Mom," Yang growled.

"Hello, Yang," Raven replied coolly.

Blake's eyes darted back and forth between Raven and the woman with the buzz-cut, a smirk growing on their faces.

"Hear you've been busy, ma," Yang hissed.

"Yes, clearly I am," Raven replied, "As you just saw when you walked in, I was in the middle of an important meeting, trying to spec out a new expansion for the quarry, when you decided to rudely fuckin' interrupt me-"

"Don't get fuckin' cute with me," Yang sternly replied. "You know why I'm here."

"Actually, I don't have a clue," Raven replied, before turning her gaze to Blake. Blake felt as if she was turned to stone as Raven's eyes fell on her. "Who's your +1, Yang?"

"This is Blake," Yang replied, "my partner."

Raven's eyes squinted as she seemingly scanned Blake from head to toe. Blake felt her cat ears on the top of her head depress in fear, before Raven stuck out her right hand to Blake.

"Pleasure to meet you," Raven said.

"Likewise," Blake said, meeting Raven's grip. Blake felt as if her fingers were going to snap in two under Raven's death-grip handshake, before Raven withdrew her own hand.

"You must know that Yang's my daughter by now," Raven said. "Charmer, ain't she?"

"I'm starting to understand where her temper comes from," Blake quietly replied. Raven gave a small smirk before turning back to Yang.

"Yang and Blake, this is Vernal," gesturing to the woman with the buzz-cut. "She's my protegé and operations manager for the Anima Stone Quarry."

Vernal gave a quick nod before returning her hard glare towards the two.

"So," Raven said, leaning back in her chair, "you here for a case or something?"

"No, I'm just here because I got nothing better to do on a Friday, and I figured I could kick around some rocks for fun," Yang sarcastically replied. "Of course we're here for a case."

Raven scoffed.

"You know, last I checked, you're in the Vale Kingdom Police Department, not Mistral's," Raven replied. "Unless Vale finally annexed Mistral or something overnight, I'm pretty sure your jurisdiction ended when you had to cross a fuckin' ocean to see me. You shoulda talked to Palermo and Dao in the Mistral PD."

"You mean those two fuckin' crooks you're paying off? Yeah, no fucking way," Yang retorted. "Besides, if you got no respect for boundaries, why the fuck should we?"

"What are you insinuating?" Raven replied.

"You know what I mean. Three dead in Forever Fall," Yang said, her voice lowering to a rumble, "White Fang. Bearer bonds stolen, in not only a White Fang van, but also in Salem Mob territory. Maybe you would've seen in the news when it first happened, maybe you knew even before anyone else knew..."

"You saying that I hit that van?" Raven replied.

"Bingo," Yang said. In the corner of Blake's eye, Vernal suddenly stepped forward, her face now flustered and angry.

"You're outta line," Vernal said. "There's no way in hell that those bearer bonds could've possibly been stolen by us-"

"Sinead O' Connor, was I fuckin' talking to you?" Yang snapped towards Vernal. Vernal ceased talking, and her mouth pressed into a hard line. Yang turned her head back to Raven.

"7.62 mm casings were found at the scene, mom," Yang said. "Only took 5 shots in total to stop the van and clip everyone inside. Whoever hit that van were professionals with military grade weapons and a damn-good shooting hand. Sounds familiar? It should, because that's your fuckin' MO. I know your crew inside and out, and you guys are ticking all the boxes with being a suspect on this one."

"Bullshit, that's my MO," Raven retorted. "My MO isn't professional marksmanship and big fuckin' guns, my MO is being smart. Whatever bozos hit this White Fang caravan are good shots, I'll give them that, but I know at least 10 different ways that I personally could have robbed that caravan without having to redecorate the interior of the van with someone's brains and have every single cop in town looking for my ass."

Raven leaned forward in her chair, bringing her eyes close to Yang's.

"If you really knew my crew inside-out, you'd know that we don't kill people during our robberies, because we have an interest in self-preservation and not getting pinched like a fuckin' idiot. We don't leave mountains of evidence like that," Raven said softly. "And ask yourself this - why the fuck would I want to go play World War with Salem and the White Fang with this robbery?"

"Yeah, well, it's not like you ever gave a shit about ripping off big outfits before," Yang said. "I know you were behind that robbery in '14 that hit a Salem mob safehouse. For all I know, you got a death wish and you're stupid enough to want to piss off all the wrong people again."

"So you've been following my cases," Raven said with a slick grin.

"Of course I am," Yang said. "Needa do my homework if I'm gonna have a shot at pinching you or blowing you away down the line."

Raven snickered.

"You're gonna blow me away now? Just like you blew away Shay D. Mann?"

"You're goddamn right," Yang growled before she leaned forward to meet Raven's gaze, the two's faces almost touching. "I put two rounds in that fucker's head, and I will do the exact same to you. Don't think I wouldn't."

"I'm counting on it," Raven replied. "But God knows you're not gonna get me on this Forever Fall shit, because I didn't do it."

"Oh yeah?" Yang interrogated. "If you didn't do it, prove it to me."

Raven paused, before she tilted back in her chair, an air of smugness growing on her face.

"Vernal?" Raven said, causing Vernal to stand at attention. "Where were you during the night of the Forever Fall Robberies, about 4 days ago?"

"I was here, ma'am," Vernal said, "Working on some paperwork and handling invoices."

"What about Tom Manslow?" Raven interrogated.

"Driving a dump truck full of bedrock to Higanbana, checked into the truck weighing station on I-44, at 5:32."

"Dawn Keep?"

"She was procuring new generators for the quarry equipment in Argus. She visited the vendors at 5:45 pm."

"And Zhiyi Gao?"

"Arrested for public intoxication in Mistral City. Held in a holding cell from 7:46 to 12:21 until someone paid bail."

"There you have it, Yang," Raven replied. "All of my crew is accounted for during the time of the robbery."

"Okay," Yang said, "But what about _you_? Where were you during the robbery, exactly?"

Yang was met with silence, as Raven shifted in her seat.

"Why do I have a feeling you already know where I was?" Raven asked. Yang simply shook her head, her lips pursed.

"I just wanted to hear you fuckin' say it," Yang said, before raising her voice. "I told you a long time ago to stay away from Dad and Ruby-"

"You really going to do this now?" Raven asked.

"Yes, we are," Yang replied, "We're gonna have a long fuckin' talk about this."

"We need to have a talk about me catching up with family?" Raven shrugged.

"Oh, so that's what this is?" Yang retorted. "You're family, now? After all these years, you just decide you can barge back in and say we're all family again?"

"Yang," Blake softly said. Yang quickly turned backwards in her seat and snapped her head towards Blake and glared at her.

Because Blake was sitting off to Yang's side for most of the time, she didn't have many opportunities to get a good look at Yang's face, but now that she had Yang's full attention and she was facing her head on, she was starting to wish that she didn't. Yang's lips were parted and her teeth bared, and her lilac eyes no longer seemed bright and cheery, but was now full of rage and hatred.

Blake almost instantly shied away at the sight of her partner's oppressive glare. In the reflection of Yang's eyes, Blake could see herself flinching away from Yang. Yang must've seen how frightened Blake looked, as Blake saw pang of guilt sweep across Yang's face before she quickly put on a hard demeanor again.

"What, Blake?" Yang quickly spat.

"Look…" Blake stammered, "Maybe we should...keep the case in mind, y'know?"

Yang's face quickly expressed annoyance before she scowled and then turned back to Raven.

"Your partner's right," Raven smugly replied. "Whether you personally like my excuse or not isn't important in the context of your case. What is important was that I was in Patch the day of the robbery, not Forever Fall."

"Alright, then," Yang said. "Let's say, for argument's sake, you had nothing to do with this shit. If that's the case, then at the very least, you at least know something about who did it."

"Why the fuck would I know anything about this?" Raven asked, frustrated, "I already told you, I had no fucking part in this thing-"

"Come the fuck on, mom, don't play stupid with me," Yang replied. "You don't think we don't know that every single robbery that happens in Forever Fall doesn't somehow end up on your radar one way or another?"

Raven shook her head.

"Look," Raven said, "I don't know anything about any robberies in Forever Fall, no one's ever came to me-"

"Don't lie to me," Yang interjected, "Sure, Salem may have staked her claim over that area, but you and I both know that any crew looking to take down a score up there likely has to get permission from you first. Meaning whoever hit that van must've came to you first."

Raven sighed.

"Well, whoever did hit that van didn't come to me first, that's the honest truth," Raven replied. "God knows I would've shot the idea down the minute someone came to me with that fuckin' cowboy shit, 'cause it's gonna bring too much heat on all sides, which it most certainly did."

"Well, do you have any idea of which crew did it?" Yang asked.

"Not any crew that I know of," Raven asked. "Believe me, I put the fuckin' pressure on all the big crews that work in Forever Fall, and none of them seemed like they did it. None of them have the balls to go behind my back and do an unsanctioned robbery in Forever Fall that big, anyways."

"So you're saying you know who _didn't_ do it, and that's all you know?" Yang said, flustered. "Gee, fuckin' great, that really narrows it down-"

"I'll tell you this much," Raven said, "It's gotta be some new crew, or someone out of town. I'm talking real low-level, incognito guys who can fuck both me, Salem and the White Fang over, and we wouldn't have the slightest clue who they were. If you already got files on them over there in your little police department, they're already too big."

Yang sighed.

"Alright, that's better than nothing, I guess," Yang said. "How soon can you find out who did it?"

"Wait, hold on," Raven said, putting up her hands, "You want me to go find the suspects for you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Me?"

"Did I fucking stutter, or something?" Yang spat impatiently.

Raven gasped incredulously, before shaking her head in awe.

"You are out of your fucking mind, Yang," Raven replied coldly. "Who the fuck do you think you are, to come in here and tell me what to do? Fuck you, I'm not finding out shit for you. You don't fucking run me, you little-"

"Right now, the talk in the town is that you did this fuckin' robbery, regardless of whether you did it or not," Yang interrupted. "I know the Salem mob's already pointing fingers in your direction, and it's only a matter of time before the White Fang catches wind too. You think those nutjobs are gonna wait to pull the trigger the minute they got the slightest whiff of who might've ripped them off?"

"Yeah, well, if they decide the pull the trigger on me, they better make sure they kill me," Raven replied, "'cause I will inflict pain on those motherfuckers on a whole 'nother level-"

"Miss Branwen, please," Blake suddenly cut in, "The White Fang-they're not a joke. They don't take this kind of stuff lightly, and you do not want to end up on their list. Please, it's in your best interest you help us, so you can clear your name and avoid a war-"

"You speakin' with inside knowledge on how the White Fang thinks, or something?" Raven said to Blake. Blake froze, shivers running down her spine.

"Look, kid, I appreciate the concern," Raven continued, "but if the White Fang wants to come for me - which I seriously doubt they will - I've been in worse scraps before."

Raven then turned to Yang.

"Now, you two have overstayed your welcome," Raven said. "I want you all out of my quarry in five minutes, or I'll tell the Mistral Police I'm being harassed by two detectives."

Yang shook her head.

"You know what's at stake here, don't you?" Yang replied.

"I'll take my chances," Raven replied. "Now, out."

Yang pursed her lips and sent her mother one final look of death, before she abruptly stood up and quickly turned away from the desk.

"C'mon, Blake, let's go," Yang said as she marched past Blake's chair. Blake, still bewildered, quickly glanced towards Raven.

"Pleasure to meet you, hun," Raven drawled sarcastically, folding her arms.

* * *

"Sixty-two!" cried the cashier from behind the counter. Blake's ears perked up at the sound of her number being called, and then quickly grabbed the bag of food and coffee set before her.

"Thanks," Blake quietly muttered before taking the food and setting off for her table.

The McDonalds in the airport was a lot busier than when Blake first saw it in the morning, given that it was lunchtime. Blake had to dodge and weave between people and tables just to get to the table Yang was sitting at in the back of the restaurant.

Yang didn't even notice Blake coming up to her, her gaze fixed on the view outside the restaurant's entrance and towards an empty gate across the walkway. The gate had a large window that opened out towards the tarmac, where a 747 in the distance was currently floating down like a deflating balloon towards the runway.

"Here's your coffee," Blake said, setting the small coffee cup in front of Yang. Yang quickly looked up, startled by the arrival of her partner. Blake quickly saw the dejected, troubled look her partner had the entire drive back to the airport seep back onto her face.

"Thank you," Yang whispered.

Blake pulled out a chair and sat herself down, pulling out a chicken salad wrap and gingerly peeling away it's paper wrapping. The car ride back was a silent mix of emotions for Blake and Yang, but emotions soon gave way to fatigue and hunger within the first hour of the car ride back. Jet-lagged and sleep deprived, Blake wanted nothing more than to be seated comfortably on a flight back to Vale, away from the soot-covered wastelands and crumbling roads of Anima. Or, at the very least, she could've taken a snack at a gas station or something, but she knew better than to get on Yang's nerves as they were driving back.

Blake took a hearty bite out of her wrap. The chicken was soggy, and lettuce mushy and soft, yet Blake savored the bite, as it was the only real food she had in the last 16 hours or so. Blake glanced up and saw Yang watching her eat. Yang quickly glanced away, but, seeing she was caught, quickly gave Blake a small smile.

This time, Yang's grin wasn't joyous or beaming, like it usually was. The glow was gone from Yang's eyes, the lilac hanging in around her pupils like dull floaters. The crooks of her mouth seemed stiff, making the smile seem all the more forced. There was usually a fire in Yang, but it seemed snuffed out now.

"You, uh...you sure you don't want anything to eat?" Blake quietly proposed. Yang shook her head.

"Not hungry," Yang hoarsely replied. "I'll just get the peanuts on the flight."

Blake nodded slightly, her amber eyes casting worry over her sullen partner. Yang must've noticed this, because she pursed her lips, and then laid her palms on the table.

"You got any family, Belladonna?" Yang suddenly quipped.

Blake paused, mid-chew. Her eyes widened ever-so-slightly at the unexpected inquisition from her partner. Blake then hastily chewed the rest of her food and then struggled to get it down her gullet.

"I, uh...yeah." Blake replied. Yang scoffed.

"That it?" Yang replied. "That's all you got to say about your family? 'Yeah?'"

Blake blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Blake stammered. "I-uh-"

"Don't be sorry," Yang replied. "I was just wondering...I dunno, the last few days have just been all about dealing with my family, which you can see is exhausting as fuck."

Blake quietly laughed at Yang's dig.

"I guess I never heard anything about your family," Yang replied. "Plus, I could use some stories about not-fucked-up parents or whatever right now. Remind me that there still are some out there in the world."

"You're talking to the wrong gal, Yang-"

"C'mon," Yang slowly drawled, "My mother is a literal thief and liar. I don't think your parents can be worse than that."

Blake scoffed.

"Well, you're not wrong," Blake said with a sigh. "I guess my parents were angels compared to your mother. No offense."

Yang softly chuckled.

"My mom was a community leader in Mountain Glenn. That's where she met my father. He was the head of a Faunus Labor Union, Local 273," Blake said. "Both she and my dad were out on the streets everyday, picketing and rallying for better rights for Faunus in the Glenn. They both bonded over their sense of justice I guess, and it wasn't long till they got married. Then, they had me."

"So, are they both still at it with their jobs?" Yang asked, "or did your mom stay at home with you or something when she had you?"

"Actually, it was my Dad who stayed at home," Blake said. "He and Mom did their best to raise me as well as they could, at least in a place like Mountain Glenn. I guess I was fortunate to have them. Kids in the project in Mountain Glenn, they'd have no parents growing up."

Yang nodded understandingly.

"You have any siblings?" Yang inquired.

"Nah, just me," Blake replied. "It was just us in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment in Mountain Glenn. But, we had each other, and I guess that was that."

Yang smiled, clearly warmed.

"So, what are your folks up to now?" Yang asked. "Tell me they were able to finally move to someplace nicer for retirement or something."

"They…"

Blake paused, her words trailing and her eyes casting downwards towards her side.

"They died when I was 11. A fire in the apartment building broke out. They didn't make it."

Yang's smile quickly dropped as her mouth stood ajar, her eyes wide with surprise. Blake returned Yang's shocked look with a hurt gaze of her own. Blake sighed, before she wearily stood up.

"I, uh, forgot napkins for my wrap," Blake said, "I'll be right back."

Yang watched, bewildered, as Blake stood up and walked towards the napkin dispenser.

* * *

"That is bullshit," Ilia said, tapping away at her phone with her eyes glued to the bright blue glow of her screen. "Fuckin' grade-A bullshit."

Blake brought her cigarette up to her mouth for another drag as she observed Ilia. Ilia was seated square in the middle of the hood of her Cutlass, her legs crossed into a pretzel pattern, as her gaze remained fixed to her phone. The occasional gust of wind would sometimes blow past Ilia, swaying her curled, brunette ponytail and causing her black windbreaker to rustle in the breeze before the gust would die down. The wind was especially chilly with the sun beginning to set, and Blake could feel every blast of icy air rip through her black sports coat and into her bone, causing her to shudder. Blake watched in amazement as Ilia seemed unfazed by both the freezing wind and the miraculous view of the warm orange sunset against the silhouette of Vale's skyline in the distance.

The minute the two got back from Mistral at around 3, Blake didn't waste time setting up a meeting with Ilia to inform her of the latest developments in the case. Ilia similarly wasted no time clearing up her schedule just to meet Blake. They met and parked their cars in their designated spot: a little overlook off the beaten path on the grassy cliffs overlooking Vale. It was a beautiful spot, and quiet too, where the two knew they wouldn't be interrupted by tourists trying desperately to get a shot of the city skyline as day turned to night and the lights of the city came to life.

Blake planned on filling Ilia in on the current situation in less than 10 minutes and then part ways with her before anyone could get a chance to spot them together, but then Ilia offered a smoke, and then one cigarette turned into two, two turned into three, and then, like everything with Ilia, the two lost track of time as they shot the shit.

"Bull- _shit_ ," Ilia repeated with emphasis, still glued to her screen, perched on her car.

"Well, I mean, there isn't much else we can do," Blake replied as she leaned against the side of her own car, a dark blue Camry. "Jacques Schnee is definitely going to win those counties, their district zoning is gerrymandered to shit."

"It's not even that," Ilia said, still typing, "Even majority Faunus districts in the kingdom are voting for the guy. It's the worst in the suburbs, go figure, but still. Like, I just don't fucking get it - no matter how hard we work the campaign offices down there, Schnee just doesn't take a hit in the polls."

"Well, it makes sense when you think about it," Blake said after exhaling. "They're low-income districts, mostly blue-collar, union job Faunuses, but they're outside Mountain Glenn and Vale City. As far as they're concerned, they're not the ones that Schnee keeps saying he's going to relocate or liquidate, so they're not at risk. Hell, couple that with the fact that he keeps talking about how he's going to do everything to create union jobs, they probably think that Schnee's actually fighting for them."

"S'pose you're right," Ilia said. "Still, don't they know this guy, like, literally said he'd hunt the Faunus like a game hunter if the law allowed him to?"

"People don't give a shit about that, Ilia," Blake said. "All that matters is who's gonna help people put food on their family's tables. And he's promising union jobs, whether he's actually gonna do it or not."

Ilia sighed, and shook her head.

"Either way, that motherfucker is just causing me more work," Ilia said. "Banesaw's all over me left and right about the campaign. I gotta go find this Schnee staffer who's been stirring up shit in some bumfuck town on the northwestern shore, straighten him out."

"What do you mean, straighten him out?" Blake asked.

Ilia looked up from her phone towards Blake, her face scrunched up in confusion, before she realized what Blake was insinuating.

"No, no, none of that. No wet work," Ilia replied, before returning to texting, "Banesaw just told me to knock his ass around a little. Believe me, I'd clip this fucking guy if I could, but Adam said we're already going to be offing a bunch of small-time dealers in the Glenn later this month, so whacking this guy is gonna have to wait."

Blake nodded, careful not to display her shock at how casually Ilia mentioned the prospect of both murdering an opposition staffed as well as a whole crew. Blake took one last drag of her cigarette, before exhaling a haze of tobacco smoke and dropping the cigarette to the ground, quashing out the butt with her wingtip shoes.

"Hey, Ilia," Blake said, "Is there anything else you need from me while I'm here?"

"Not unless there's anything else you wanna add to what you told me already," Ilia replied, finally flicking off her phone and slipping it into her pant pocket.

"I'm gonna follow up with Branwen," Blake replied. "With her looking at the Forever Fall crews, and with Roman and Junior on the lookout for anyone trying to cash those bearer bonds, we'll find the perps soon enough."

"Well, can you trust Branwen to find this crew?" Ilia questioned. "How do you know she'll tell us too?"

"Well, I don't know for sure," Blake replied. "But personally, Branwen made a pretty good case that she was innocent. I personally believe she knows what's at stake, so she's gonna help us."

Ilia slowly shook her head before slipping out her phone again, her disapproval causing Blake's stomach to drop slightly.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked, confusedly.

"I dunno, Blake," Ilia replied. "What you 'personally believe' isn't going to float it. God knows it won't with the guy up top."

"You mean Adam?" Blake asked.

Ilia nodded, still fixed on her screen.

"C'mon, Blake, you should know that better than I do," Ilia coolly replied.

"Look, we oughta just wait till I get a word back from Branwen," Blake said. "If she doesn't come up with anything or I pick up on some bullshit from her, then we'll start talking about how we'll go after her."

"Alright," Ilia shrugged. "Makes no difference to me, as long as we get some names I can cross off and make Adam happy."

Blake pursed her lips, before sighing. Ilia then abruptly set her phone down next to her on the hood of her car, before she uncrossed her legs and then jumped off of it.

"Hey," Ilia said, "Before you go, I got something for you."

Ilia walked over to Blake and reached into her windbreaker's pocket. She then pulled out a small, plastic electronic and handed it to Blake.

"I got some burner phones for you," Ilia replied. "Believe me, it was a pain in the ass finding a flip one in Vale that I could pay in full with cash. Everything's a fuckin' smartphone here nowadays."

Blake transferred the phone to her right hand and flipped the cover up, the dated digital display flashing a pixelated message asking if Blake wanted to dial a number or go to her contacts book.

"You know the drill," Ilia said, "Call me once with it, then junk it. I should be in the contacts for the phone, I'm the only number in there."

"Thanks," Blake muttered, before slipping it into her suit's pocket and turning to her car.

"Hey, wait," Ilia said, stopping Blake in her tracks and causing her to turn around to face Ilia once more. Before Blake could respond, Ilia leaned forward and stole a quick peck on Blake's cheek.

"Can't wait to see you again," Ilia said in a low, seductive voice, a sly grin on her face.

Blake curled her lips slightly at Ilia's comment and gesture.

"I'll call you when I get more info," Blake gruffly replied. Ilia nodded.

"So where you off to?" Ilia curtly asked.

"Dinner."

"With who?" Ilia further pried.

"...My partner," Blake said, after hesitation.

"Partner?" Ilia asked, shocked. "How come I'm just hearing about a partner now?"

"I thought you knew its standard for detectives to have partners sometimes, Ilia," Blake responded. "Besides, I thought Adam told you."

"No, no he didn't," Ilia said, her face beginning to harden and her tone dropping. "Why the hell are you going out to eat with your partner?"

"Well...that's what partners do," Blake responded, her voice quivering.

"No, that's what donut-eating, pension-pushing cops do," Ilia said. "Last I checked, that ain't you."

Blake stared at Ilia with a deer-in-the-headlights look, unsure of how to approach Ilia's shocking aggression.

"What's your partner's name?" Ilia replied, making the next move first. "Her _name_ , Blake."

Blake paused, her mouth slightly ajar and her eyes narrowing as she debated on whether to tell Ilia or not. Why in the world was Ilia so fixated on the idea of Blake having a partner? Blake sensed trouble immediately, but she had no other option.

"Yang. Yang Xiao Long," Blake replied.

Ilia returned Blake's inquisitive look with one of her own.

"I'll take a look at her," Ilia said.

"Don't bother," Blake hastily responded. "She's harmless."

"How do you know that?" Ilia insolently interrogated.

"Well, I mean...I've been with her 3 months," Blake stammered. "I don't think she has any idea about me. Plus, I think she's taken a liking to me."

"Whaddya mean, 'taken a liking' to you?" Ilia inquired again.

"I-I mean, she likes me as a partner," Blake responded. "Like, she thinks I'm good at my job. Look, Ilia, I don't think she's going to be an issue-"

"There you go again, talkin' 'bout how you feel," Ilia coldly responded.

"Ilia…" Blake quietly responded, her ears flattening against her head. Ilia simply sighed, and then turned away from Blake, grabbing her right elbow.

"Go have dinner, Blake," Ilia coldly said. "We'll talk later."

Blake's mouth creased into a frown, her brow furrowed in worry, before she cast her eyes downward and then opened the driver's side door.

* * *

_BB: Despite all the shit we went through that day, Yang and I still had dinner to look forward to that evening. We'd made plans for the night in advance, earlier in the week, but tonight was the night we'd finally go grab a meal together with her girlfriend. The plan was that I would drive over to Yang's apartment first at 6, and then we would all drive over together to the restaurant, a Mexican place called La Casa Hermosa._

_NV: Heeey, that's that Mexican joint on Fifth and Wabash, just south of the river, right? Shit, Ren and I just went there last week! I had two tortas there cause it was so damn delicious. The food was good, right Ren?_

_LR: It was a little too greasy for me._

_NV: Hey, the more grease, the better it is for me, baby. So, Miss Belladonna, tell me - what did you think of the food there?_

_BB: [Sigh] I couldn't tell you. We never got to the restaurant._

* * *

Blake spent a good 5 minutes circling around the block before she finally found someone pulling out of a spot, conveniently located right in front of the apartment building Yang had said was hers.

Yang's apartment was located on the eastern side of Vale's residential district in a neighborhood called Townsend Park. Considering Vale's whole residential district by the river was where the city's richest lived, Townsend Park was a lot more middle-class in comparison, but still upscale enough to house a collection of post-modernist, sleek apartments like the one Yang lived in. Blake knew it was impolite, but she had to wonder how Yang was able to afford a place like this to live in, or whether it was the Schnee money paying for this place.

Blake adjusted her dress before stepping out of her car and grabbing her purse. Blake wasn't sure whether the place Yang and Weiss were taking her was the type of place that she had to dress nice for or not, so she decided on something in the middle ground just to be safe; a casual, flowy blue dress that hung from straps on her shoulders. Blake also decided on a little black bow to cover her cat ears for the night. Once again, she didn't know what type of place this restaurant was, and she wasn't entirely sure on how Weiss Schnee stood with Faunuses, so she decided on the safer option again.

Blake approached the front door of the apartment building and was prepared to buzz Yang's apartment to let her in, when a chattering, young couple exited through the front door and held the door open for Blake. Blake quietly muttered a 'thanks,' then entered the apartment building's lobby, signaled the elevator, and took the ride up to Apartment 32.

As the doors to the elevator closed and Blake leaned against the wooden back panel of the elevator, Blake couldn't help but feel a small smile grow across her face.

 _So this is what a normal life must feel like,_ Blake thought to herself. No worrying about cases, no having to wake up at midnight to go investigate a burglary at a convenience store, no having to look over her shoulder constantly for people who want to stab or shoot her, or incurring the wrath of Adam.

Blake scoffed, thinking about how starkly different her own life was compared to a "normal" life. But, at least for tonight, she could take a brief reprieve, courtesy of Yang.

The doors to the elevator shuttered open, and Blake stepped out into a beige, brightly lit hallway with a maroon carpet. Blake practically felt herself float with excitement towards Yang's apartment at the end of the hall. As Blake approached the apartment door, anticipation began to grow inside her as she wondered whether it would be Yang to open the door, or her girlfriend.

Blake stopped in front of the door labeled "32," curled her fingers into a ball and prepared to give the door two slight raps. Before she could, she caught the sight of the door already slightly ajar, a sliver of light coming from where the door parted from the frame.

Blake's heart must've skipped a beat, and her stomach dropped instantly. Why was Yang's door already opened?

Blake slowly opened the door, the hinges creaking. The interior view of Yang's apartment suddenly appeared in front of Blake. She would've admired how posh and modern Yang's apartment looked like, if she didn't notice the scattering of broken glass and the puddle on the hardwood floor in the foyer in front of her. Blake felt the dread build up inside her even more - something wasn't right here.

Blake scanned the apartment, verifying that there wasn't another soul in sight, before she knelt down to the broken glass on the floor. Blake quickly picked out a broken bottle handle amidst all the debris. Coupled with the pieces of black glass with white text sprawled on it and the intoxicating fumes from the puddle, Blake deduced that this was a whiskey bottle.

"Yang?" Blake called out in the apartment, to no answer. Blake quickly turned to her right, seeing a small hallway with an assortment of doors. Blake slowly rose to her feet, her eyes locked and focused on these doors, as she noticed another door slightly ajar. Blake tiptoed over to the door, her fear quickly turning into panic as her mind raced, trying to think of an explanation for why the apartment was in disarray. Blake paused outside the slightly ajar door, and then slowly gave it a light push. The minute Blake got a good view of the contents of the room, Blake's heart practically stopped.

On the middle of the floor in the room, near the leg of the bed, a woman in a grey shirt and jeans lay completely still, her back facing towards the door and her long, blonde hair flayed out on the carpet floor.

"Yang!" Blake shouted, before darting towards Yang's body and kneeling beside her. Blake quickly rolled Yang flat on her back and then gave two light slaps on Yang's face, which was completely still with eyes shut and mouth ajar.

Then, Yang's lilac eyes opened wide - wider than Blake had ever seen before - before Yang gasped, sucking in air for a good second with a horrendous, wheezing sound. Before Blake could feel relieved that Yang was still breathing, Yang suddenly keeled back over on her side and vomited, emitting a repulsive, guttural noise.

"Ugh!" Blake quickly exclaimed, before Yang gave two more quick, disgusting heaves onto the carpet, before groaning and lying back down, flat on her back.

"Ohhhhhhh…" Yang moaned, before pressing her hands into her temple. "...nnnh...Blake, is that you?"

"Yang…" Blake croaked, "Yang, what the fuck happened?"

"I, uhhhhh _hhh_ hh…" Yang said, before she abruptly shot up and rose to her feet. Blake quickly stumbled backwards as Yang staggered out of the bedroom and towards one of the closed doors. Yang threw the door open, revealing a bathroom, before Yang dropped to her knees and quickly threw her face between the toilet seat before vomiting again, the horrific sound of her retching reverberating in a hollow echo from the toilet bowl.

Blake didn't think twice before standing up and then rushing over to the bathroom, quickly brushing Yang's hair out of her face and holding it behind her head before she laid her left hand on Yang's back to steady her. Blake felt Yang's back constrict and lurch with each heave, before Yang's coughing echoed from the bowl, indicating she was finally done.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked as Yang then rocked backwards on her heels, landing against where the wall of the bathroom met the tub with a _thud_. Blake was awaiting a response from Yang before she saw Yang's eyes pressed shut and her mouth contorted and quivering, before a soft sob echoed out of Yang's lungs. Blake watched in shock as Yang quickly curled herself into a ball against the wall and lifted her right hand towards her forehead, her sobs turning into full-out howling, each guttural cry causing her chest to rise and fall. Tears began to stream down her face.

"Hey…" Blake whispered, before crouching down towards Yang and extending her hand to Yang's left shoulder. In a flash, Yang flailed her left arm towards Blake's arm, slapping her hand off her shoulder.

"Getta' fuck offa me!" Yang shrieked, before her sobbing ceased and she opened her eyes towards Blake. The whites of Yang's eyes were bloodshot-red, but the tears glistening in her eyes gave her lilac eyes an almost transfixing sparkle. Blake stood motionless as their eyes connected for a second, before Yang quickly blinked away tears and began sobbing again, lowering her head away to hide from Blake's view.

Yang began slamming her head against the bathroom wall as she continued bawling, each blow resulting in an echoing thud from the wall.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Blake cried out, jumping forward and wrapping her hands on the back of Yang's head, holding it tight to prevent Yang from snapping her head back against the wall.

Blake then wrapped her arms around Yang's head further, pulling Yang's head close against Blake's body in a soft grip. Blake felt Yang's tears beginning to seep onto the soft cotton of her dress as she felt Yang's burning-hot face dig into her skin. Blake lifted her left hand to Yang's scalp and ran her fingers through Yang's golden mane, softly petting her head, as she began to rock Yang back and forth.

"Shhhhh, hey," Blake soothed, continuing to rock Yang's head back and forth as she sobbed, "It's okay...it's okay…"

Blake felt Yang's arms clamp around the back of her neck and pull Blake closer into Yang. Blake felt Yang struggling to stand up, so Blake quickly maneuvered her hands around Yang's waist and hoisted her up. Now on her feet, Yang quickly leaned into Blake's right shoulder, her body still mostly limp. She was heavy, like a sack of potatoes, but Blake grunted and then steadied Yang with her right hand across her back and her left hand on the back of her head. Yang, still sobbing uncontrollably and her arms still wrapped around Blake, rested her head on Blake's shoulders, tears streaming off her face and onto Blake's skin.

Blake felt like she was holding a quivering animal as Yang began to shudder. Blake felt Yang's chest lurch forward, then depress with each deep sob. Blake pulled Yang's head tight against her shoulder, pressing her fingers into the back of Yang's head, as she gently caressed her back.

"It's okay…" Blake softly whispered, "I got you. I got you."

* * *

_BB: I'm sure anyone's first instinct when they see Yang Xiao Long throwing up and breaking down would probably be amusement, or something. Most people only saw the side of Yang that was out there pursuing leads or cracking heads, so to see her bawling like a little kid would probably seem funny at first. I'll be honest, maybe I felt that way too when I first saw her, for like a split-second. But it really didn't take long for me to see the other side of Yang, the one she doesn't show to anyone on the streets._

* * *

Once the hysterical crying had subsided, the first thing Blake asked Yang was how much she drank, to which Yang said she had 'no clue.' Blake further asked if Yang needed to go to the hospital, to which Yang replied that there was 'no fuggin' way imma be tankin an amblance toothy hopitel.' Blake pursed her lips in protest, but obliged.

After verifying that Yang indeed would be fine, the next step was getting Yang calm and cleaned up. What should have been a relatively simple task quickly became complicated, as the inebriated Yang struggled to get herself out of her grimy, stained clothes so she could take a shower. Blake had to help Yang pull the shirt over her head and hold Yang steady in the bathroom, making sure she didn't accidentally fall and bang her head against the porcelain tub's edge.

Blake blushed as Yang threw her shirt into Blake's arm, as she was down to nothing but her bra. Blake felt guilty gawking at Yang when she was clearly at the lowest she's ever seen her, but she couldn't help but catch a glance as she fumbled and hopped around with her pants. Whatever inkling of suggestive excitement Blake had was replaced by morbid curiosity, as she spotted two round scars on her back, which were unmistakingly scars from a bullet.

Yang threw her Blake's jeans into her arms, snapping Blake back into reality.

"I'm good from 'ere," Yang slurred.

Blake nodded sheepishly before bowing out of the bathroom.

After dropping the clothes off in the laundry room down the hall, next came the fun part of cleaning up after Yang: taking care of the vomit. Blake grabbed a pair of rubber gloves, garbage bags, and what felt like a metric-ton of Clorox, and got to work.

Blake dropped a pair of fresh clothes for Yang through the cracks of the bathroom door. Every so often while cleaning, Blake would call out to the bathroom, making sure that Yang was still standing and hadn't fallen in the shower. Incoherent responses, which quickly turned into primitive grunts, always greeted Blake as a response, reaffirming to Blake that Yang was still doing okay.

Blake was sweeping the broken glass into a dustpan when she heard the bathroom door open. Glancing up, Blake saw Yang sliding across the wall as support into the main area of the apartment, clad in a blue t-shirt that said "Beacon Academy" in college font, and a pair of grey joggers.

If "hammered shit" was a human being, Yang was it. There were bags under Yang's eyes, and she looked frail and ill, her skin a ghostly pale white. Yang's flowing golden hair were reduced to wet, clumpy strands that hung like vines off her head. The same dullness in her eyes that Blake saw in the airport McDonalds was back again, slowly scanning across the apartment with lifelessness.

Blake shot up and walked over to Yang, quickly throwing herself under her shoulder as support while wrapping her right arm around Yang.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Yang slurred.

"No, you're not," Blake bluntly replied, as she took tiny steps forward to move Yang to the glass dining table in the middle of the apartment. Blake lowered Yang into a chair at the table, eliciting a labored groan from Yang as she creaked into the chair.

"Wait here," Blake said, before turning back to the kitchen and grabbing a glass cup out of the cupboard. Filling it with tap water, Blake raced back to Yang and placed it gently into a dazed Yang's hands.

"Thank you," Yang whispered, before thirstily gulping down water and then setting the glass down on the table.

"I...feel like a fuckin' train just hit me," Yang croaked, before taking another swig. Blake pulled up a chair to the right of Yang.

"Yang, what happened?" Blake responded. "Where's your girlfriend?"

Yang gave a scoff, before throwing her hands in the air in a defeated shrug.

"She's gone."

"What do you mean, she's gone?" Blake asked.

"I mean she left," Yang said, before raising her right hand to her temples, gently massaging them. "Of all the days she coulda left, she chose today."

"Well-what happened? Why?"

"Why?" Yang said before letting out a sarcastic snort. "You wanna know why? Jacques fuckin' Schnee is why, her fuckin'...cocksuckin'...slimy rat fuckin' father…"

Yang then leaned to her right and instantly tumbled out of her seat. Blake shot straight up out of her own seat and bee-lined to Yang.

"Yang!" Blake shouted out.

"Aw, I'm fine, I'm fine," Yang muttered before staggering up to her feet again. "I just need some more booze, then I'll be okay."

"No, Yang, no more drinking. Come on," Blake said, while grabbing the glass of water in her other hand. "Drink some water, it'll make you feel a little better."

"Fuck water!" Yang slurred out, before swinging her right hand in front of her, swiping at imaginary enemies but only connecting with air. "Fuck it, I'm just gonna get more drunk. Get drunk like my fuckin' alchie uncle. Weiss always fuckin' hated me when I was drunk-you know I haven't gotten piss-drunk in over a year because of her? That fuckin', fuckin'..."

Yang didn't finish her thought, before her face scrunched up and her mouth contorted again, tears beginning to trail down her eyes once more. A soft whimper emanated from Yang's lungs.

"Oh, Yang," Blake whispered, before wrapping Yang around in another hug.

* * *

_YXL: Weiss had enough. It was simple as that. All the shit I was doing...just piled on and on, until she couldn't take it no more. That whole voicemail thing that Henry saw me about the day before? Yeah, that was the cherry on top._

_JA: Did they leak the voicemail out to the public or something?_

_YXL: No. They played it for Weiss and her team, instead. In the middle of her pre-trial meetings. They were looking for a way to remove her from the case since day 1, and my little rant to Jacques was enough ammunition for them to at least recommend she be recused from the case. It was a public case, real public...her team couldn't afford to have their reputation tarnished by some out-of-control cop who was dating one of the main attorneys. When you're going up against cases that are essentially backed by Jacques Schnee, what else are you gonna do?_

_JA: What happened next?_

_YXL: She blew up when I got home, that's what happened next. She was mad at me for fucking with her work, but most of all, she was mad at me because I didn't listen to her. She told me time and time again to let her handle things, but I never trusted her to do it. [scoffs] Whether I liked it or not, though, that's the way things were gonna be, because she and I were through after that. And then, that was the last I saw of Weiss Schnee. Well, sort of._

* * *

"C'mon," Blake said, hoisting Yang's arm over her shoulder as Yang shuffled to her feet from the table. Yang grunted as she struggled to stand up, and Blake felt Yang suddenly crumple and lean in towards her.

"Whoa!" Blake said, catching Yang. Blake then regained her own balance and then struggled to keep Yang up as the two staggered to the sofa in the living room.

"I'm sorry," Yang slurred.

"It's okay," Blake whispered, before the two reached the couch. Blake began to slowly lower her shoulder to let Yang down onto the couch slowly, but Yang went ahead and plopped herself down on the sofa without so much of a word of warning to Blake.

Yang had drunkenly informed Blake of her desire to sleep at this point, and Blake knew that there was no way that she could get Yang all the way to the bedroom, so she made the executive decision to relegate Yang's sleeping quarters to the sofa for tonight.

"Wait here," Blake said, before rushing into the bedroom to grab a comforter and a small garbage container from the bathroom. Blake quickly returned to Yang, who was now laying flat on her back and staring emptily up at the ceiling.

"Here, Yang," Blake said, tossing the comforter up in the air with two hands to flatten it out, and then letting it gently fall down on top of Yang. Blake then gently used her right hand to roll Yang on her side.

"Don't sleep on your back, Yang," Blake soothed, "I don't know if you got it all out of your system, but just in case, sleep on your side. I have a garbage can here for that too."

"Mmmhhh," Yang returned as a reply.

Blake sighed, and then put her hand on Yang's shoulder. Yang's eyes cracked open slightly, completely bloodshot from the tears shed over the course of the night.

"Blake."

"Yeah?" Blake replied, meeting Yang's gaze.

"Please, just...fuckin' kill me," Yang mumbled.

"...what?" Blake cried out, perplexed.

"Please, I don't...I don't wanna live in this world anymore," Yang whispered. "I'mo so fuckin' tired of everything. I'm no good to nobody anymore."

"Yang, you're talkin' crazy-"

"I'm a fuckin' waste, look at me!" Yang whimpered. "Only 23, and I'm already some burnt-out, jaded asshole cop. And I-I-I can't make nobody stay with me. Everyone leaves when they see how fucked up I am."

Yang sniffed her nose as tears began to roll down her eyes again, pooling into a wet spot on the pillow underneath her head.

"Weiss had the patience of a saint. You know that?" Yang said, scoffing. "She kept trying to help me become a better person. But even I found a way to grind her down. She kept waiting on me to change for her, so we could have a life together, but I just can't do it. I can't stop...I can't stop fightin' people, cause that's my job, and I dunno what the fuck else I'm gonna do with my life."

Yang let out another small whimper before bucking Blake's advice once more and rolling flat on her back once again.

"Look at me now, Blake. What the fuck do I got?" Yang moaned. "I got a sick Dad on his way out, I got a Mom whose only ever been in my life when she does something fucked up and I gotta chase her around the block for it, and I got a long list of exes that got fed up with my crazy bullshit. Now, I gotta add the one woman who made life worth living for the last few years to that list. I got nothin'."

"Yang, don't say that," Blake replied firmly, grabbing ahold of Yang's right hand, which felt clammy in her grip. "You're not alone - you got me. I'll stand by you, Yang."

Yang scoffed.

"That's cute," Yang sneered, before dropping Blake's hand. "But I gotta say, Blake...There's...there's somethin' about you..."

Yang's voice was beginning to fade, and Blake saw Yang's eyelids begin to droop. Blake quickly shook Yang to keep her awake.

"What? What is it?" Blake responded.

By this time, Yang had fully fallen asleep, her nostrils suddenly sucking up air as she snored. Her chest began to rise and fall slowly as she began to fall into a deep slumber on the couch.

Blake stared at Yang once more, perplexed, before she grabbed a throw blanket laying on the nearby chair and a half, gently laid it on top of Yang, and then tiptoed out of the apartment, gently shutting the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long winded A/N incoming:  
> This is more or less the end of the first act of the story. With that being said, I unfortunately have to say that I'm gonna take a small hiatus in posting for this fic.  
> I initially had the first 5 chapters of this story ready to go when I first published a month ago, but recently I've been unable to find time to begin writing the next 5-6 chapters that comprise the next act of the story. I'd much rather have the next act at least 90% complete and ready to publish rather than write week-to-week and leave y'all hanging because I didn't have the next chapter ready in time. (I also might finish wrapping up some short fics I've been writing, but idk)  
> I have no idea how long it's going to take to write the next few chapters - it could be finished in 2 weeks, or it could take 2 months. That being said, I want to reaffirm that this is a small hiatus and I'm certainly not abandoning the story - you'll be getting a new chapter posted some time at least in the near future. I already have the remainder of the story planned out, just need to find the time to put pen to paper :/.  
> I also wanted to say thanks to everyone that gave this story a kudos/favorite/bookmark etc., or just took the time out to read this fic. Those of you leaving comments about how much you like the story so far - sorry if I haven't been responding recently, but you guys make my day, thank you so much. I'm ready to hit the ground running working on the next part of the story, and I don't think I'd feel so excited if it weren't for you all.  
> (TL;DR - I'm taking a short hiatus from the story to finish writing the next act. Thanks so much for the support so far)


	7. Graphite Kingdom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Took me long enough to update this :/  
> Amidst everything, I finally found some time to sit down and start cranking out a few chapters. Next four chapters are written so far, and I'll be releasing it week-by-week, as always. Probably will be releasing it on Fridays or Saturdays from here on out.  
> Hope everyone is able to stay safe and healthy.

_YXL: So, which one of you got a cigarette?_

_JA: I'm sorry?_

_YXL: A cigarette, jagoff! I want a smoke._

_JA: I-Miss Xiao Long, we're in the middle of a police interview. You cannot have a cigarette-_

_YXL: Do you know how long it's been since I had a smoke? Almost a whole fuckin' year. Ever since I got here, I haven't had a single cig. Trust me, I could've traded a few bucks for some that were smuggled in, but, being the model inmate that I am, I've abstained so far._

_PN: Oh, well, good on you. You want a girl scout badge for that or something?_

_YXL: No, I want a fucking cigarette, which I know one of you have, since someone in here's clothes smells like tobacco, and it certainly ain't fuckin' me. If y'all want this show to continue, you're gonna have to accomodate me._

_PN: 5-star hotels will give you accommodation. But you're in a max-security prison, Yang, so how 'bout you cut the bullshit and start telling us-_

_JA: It's me. I, uh...I had a smoke before we started._

_[Pause]_

_PN: Jaune-_

_YXL: Oh, ho ho, man! Golden-boy Arc over here's got smokes? I guess it kind of makes sense, cigarettes are making a comeback with hipsters nowadays, ain't it?_

_JA: I'm not a hipster._

_YXL: And I'm the God of Light. Come on, hand it over and give me a light._

_[Rustling can be heard on recording. SI Arc notes post-interview that at this point, he is reaching into pocket of jacket to retrieve a carton of cigarettes and is about to hand one over to Y. Xiao Long, but refrains at last second.]_

_JA: I give you this cig, you better tell me everything you know about Roman Torchwick. Otherwise, the cig goes out and you go back in handcuffs._

_YXL: [Scoffs] Sounds fair to me._

_[Clicking can be heard on recording. SI Arc notes post-interview that this is from his lighter, lighting Y. Xiao Long's cigarette]_

_YXL: So, what do you want to know about Torchwick?_

_PN: Why don't we start with how you found him?_

* * *

_BB: Yang's breakup fucked her up for a little bit, but at the very least, we thought we were in a good place with the investigation. We had all fronts covered with the bearer bonds being cashed since we had Torchwick and Junior in our fold, and we figured Yang's mom would find out the culprits in her own way eventually, so all we had to do was sit tight and wait for this crew to screw up, and then we could nab them._

_LR: When did the next development in the case occur?_

_BB: About a week and a half after we visited Branwen. We had an open-and-shut carjacking case that we needed to work in that time, so we shuttered some of the Torchwick and Junior responsibilities over to the Organized Crime Unit, since they were supposed to be watching those guys in the first place. But other than that, no word on the Forever Fall case. Until, one day, it all started crashing down._

* * *

Out of all the conference rooms they could've done the ceremony in, Blake didn't understand why they had to choose the most uncomfortable one to carry it out.

Blake's chair was wobbly from two of the legs being longer than the others, and it felt like she was sitting on a rock. Someone had cranked the heat up to what felt like 100 °F, and from her seat at the back of the room, all she could see onstage was the blurry outline of Commissioner Ozpin's outline at the podium.

"...it takes honor and conviction to serve and protect the streets of Vale," Ozpin's voice crackled through the sound system, "and because of that, I couldn't be happier to have these men and women on stage with me, because all of them have displayed what it means to be an officer of the Vale Kingdom Police Department in the past year. Would the ladies and gentlemen on stage here please rise as I recognize their fine achievements?"

Blake saw the blurry outlines of a group of people stand up on the stage as a handful of audience members clapping soon spread like a wave across the room, as everyone was applauding in a matter of seconds. Blake began to mindlessly clap in congratulations as well, although Blake's mind was focusing on something far from the commencement going on.

"Ahem…" Ozpin said, clearing his throat. "Nebula Violette, for her role in the major arrests of several Grimm street gang lieutenants...May Zedong, for quick thinking and marksmanship in defusing a bank robbery situation in the Agricultural District...Russel Thrush and Cardin Winchester, both for their roles in breaking up an illegal faunus trafficking ring…"

At the mention of the last two names, a wave of applause and whistles broke out amongst the audience.

* * *

_YXL: Illegal trafficking ring my ass. You know what it was that Cardin Winchester and his partner Russel broke up? A fuckin' migrant worker camp on the Western border of Vale. Most of the workers in that camp were Faunus from Menagerie who didn't have valid work visas, so the only jobs they had were working the strawberry fields on the Vale-Vacuo border. What does Cardin do? Gets a posse of local deputies from the sheriff's office to raid the camp, and basically detain everyone there. I mean, I'm talking about putting innocent men, women and children in handcuffs. Of course, the VKPD was already taking heat for persecuting illegal workers, so to make sure that the whole raid would look kosher to the public, they come up with some fuckin' narrative that the migrant camp was actually a hub for one of the biggest trafficking crews in Remnant. That way, the VKPD gets brownie points for going after straw men instead of the actual traffickers, and they get a covert excuse to ship those workers back to Menagerie, so that they can "reunite them with their families." They even gave little Winchester a promotion to detective to keep him quiet about the whole thing. You ask me, though, Winchester was so fuckin' stupid, he probably thought that he actually did bust up a trafficking ring._

* * *

Blake's hands were beginning to hurt as she continued clapping for names Ozpin kept rattling off that she didn't care about, when she caught a glimpse of a golden head of hair a few rows in front of her. Blake's mind lingered once again, this time to her partner.

It'd been about 10 days now since Blake watched Yang unravel in front of her. After those 10 days, not a peep about it from Yang. It was bewildering to Blake as to how Yang could simply act like she didn't say she wanted to be dead and come to work like nothing happened. If Blake wasn't in Yang's apartment that night, she would've never suspected that there was anything wrong.

Blake watched Yang turn her head, and saw her reach into her jacket pocket and pull out her phone, the screen lit up with someone giving her a call. Blake watched Yang put the phone up to her ear and begin talking inaudibly, before Blake could see Yang's face become distressed and the movement of her mouth become more violent, angry. Blake's brow furrowed in worry as she saw Yang look up, lock eyes briefly with Blake, and then make her way across her row, step out into the center aisle of the conference room, then walk up to Blake's row.

Blake watched as Yang weaved her way across the row to reach Blake, her face pressed hard and grimly serious. Blake returned Yang's perplexed gaze with her own as Yang came face to face with Blake.

"Come on. Let's go," Yang yelled, just audible enough over all the clapping.

"What?" Blake shouted in return.

"We gotta go!" Yang yelled forcefully. "Someone just killed Roman Torchwick in his fuckin' store."

* * *

Blake and Yang were screaming down 14th street as the siren on their car blared and the red and blue lightbars in the windows flashed frenetically. Blake's eyes were intently focused on the road ahead as cars ahead of them all pulled over to the side. Blake zoomed past them and approached the crowd of people and flashing red and blue lights that were amassed outside the front of Roman's store.

Blake and Yang had wasted no time ditching the promotion ceremony at the department and dashing over to the scene of the crime in their Crown Vic. The scene was only 10 minutes from the department offices, but it was 10 minutes too long, if Yang's impatient tapping of her finger against the passenger seat's armrest during the whole ride was any indication.

Blake quickly pulled the car up as close to the crowd as she could without flattening any onlookers and then quickly put the car in park. The minute the gear stick was in the park position, Yang was out the car door and beelining towards the entrance of the store. Blake was out of the car in 2 seconds flat and following suit behind Yang as the two of them quickly reached into their coat pockets and pulled out their badges and hoisted them up.

"VKPD!" Yang yelled as she waved her badge, parting the crowd in front of her. "Make way!"

Yang and Blake fought their way through the crowd until they reached yellow police tape, where they were greeted by a brown-haired policewoman, wearing purple latex gloves.

"You the detectives?" the sergeant asked.

"Yeah," Yang said. "What the hell happened?"

"C'mon, I'll show you," the sergeant said, lifting up the tape for the two to go under as they walked into the store.

The first thing Blake noticed that was unordinary as she walked into the store was that, ironically, nothing appeared to be...unordinary. The storefront looked exactly how it did when Yang and Blake initially stopped by close to two weeks ago. No shattered display cases, no signs of robbery, no signs of any sort of struggle - the only thing that was different was that the occupants of the store were replaced with forensics detectives dusting for fingerprints or taking photos.

"Body was found at 7:45 am this morning, 15 minutes before the store was supposed to open," the sergeant said as she, Blake and Yang walked through the store and towards the back office. "Some old couple wandered in, said they smelled something foul and went to get to the manager, and then that's when they found him."

The sergeant opened the door to the back office, and the putrid stench of decay hit Blake's nose. If the smell wasn't naseauting enough, the sight that greeted her did.

Seated at his desk was none other than Torchwick himself, except this time, he remained completely still. His face was a grotesque purple and yellow, his eyes swollen and puffed shut, and his immaculate white, double-breasted jacket was smudged with dirt and stained and splattered with crimson-red blood. Torchwick's cheeks were stuffed, and a shiny, odd glimmer emanating from his mouth caught Blake's eye.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ," Yang muttered.

"Initial diagnosis is that he died from blunt force trauma, based on the amount of facial bruising and cuts, bumps on the back of his head. Suffocation may be a factor too."

"Suffocation?" Yang questioned.

Blake slowly approached the body and slipped on a glove as a detective dusted for prints around the desk, paying no mind to Blake. Blake, currently fighting to keep her queasiness down, gently pulled down the bottom lip on Torchwick's face, revealing a mouth filled with blood-stained gems and diamonds, along with a few golden wrist and pocket watches, with most of the gem's shiny hues being obscured by the crimson-red blood slathered on them.

"What the fuck?" Yang said, exasperated.

"Those are the only displaced gems in the store," the sergeant said. "Other than that, everything in here is in it's right place - no one lifted a single stone, and nothing is unaccounted for."

Blake carefully closed Torchwick's mouth and then turned to Yang.

"He wasn't killed here, then," Blake said. "Someone must've dragged him here and staged his body like this. There was no forced entry, so someone must've got him while he had the keys to the shop."

"No blood stains, no trails either," the sergeant said. "The forensics guys are gonna dust for prints and fibers, but right now it doesn't look like they're gonna turn up anything-"

"Hey, OCU's here!" another sergeant called out from the main storeroom.

Yang and Blake's head snapped towards the front of the store. Blake watched as Yang's face harden and she began to storm out to the front. Blake quickly peeled off her blood-stained latex gloves and follow Yang out of the store.

As Blake and Yang were walking out of the front door, Blake caught a glimpse of Sun lifting up the police tape and walking through, still clad in a shabby olive suit. Following Sun was an immaculately-dressed, blue-haired, baby-faced detective with a crimson sports jacket, pressed-and-ironed white shirt and a skinny black tie.

"What the fuck happened?" Yang quickly said as she approached the two, who were now standing next to a rusted newspaper dispenser.

"Yang-"

"What the _fuck_ happened, Sun!?" Yang screamed, a little bit of spittle flying out of her mouth and just missing Sun. Sun flinched in fear at the sound of Yang's voice. "You fuckin' guys were supposed to be watching Torchwick and his crew-"

"It wasn't fuckin' me and Neptune who were surveilling Torchwick last night, goddamnit!" Sun yelled in return. "Sage and Scarlet had this fucker under 24/7 surveillance, until Black and Sustrai-"

"Mercury and Emerald?" Yang replied, exacerbated. "What the fuck do they have to do with any of this?"

"You don't know?" the blue-haired detective named Neptune interjected.

"No, no I don't know," Yang said. Sun and Neptune both collectively pursed their lips.

"Last night, someone killed Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai outside their home at 2 am," Neptune said. "Car bomb. Neighbors called it in to 911, by the time the firefighters got there, there wasn't much of a body left to salvage."

Yang and Blake's mouths both collectively dropped, before Yang raised her right hand to her temples and then began massaging it.

"You are fuckin' kidding me," Yang groaned. "You have got to be fucking kidding me."

"Sage and Scarlet were on rotation, monitoring Torchwick outside his house in the residential district when they got the distress call about Mercury and Emerald," Neptune continued. "Since they were only 15 minutes away, those idiots decided to respond, and they called in Flynt and Neon to take over surveillance on Torchwick, who say they got to the house about 25 minutes after Sage and Scarlet took off."

"So there was a whole 25 minute gap that no one was watching Torchwick?" Yang replied. Neptune silently nodded, causing Yang to grimace, then grab her hair with her right hand, frustrated.

"Did Flynt and Neon see Torchwick leave after the two left?" Yang interrogated.

"No, they didn't," Neptune said. "They didn't even know Torchwick wasn't in his house until police dispatch reported the 10-54 in Torchwick's store."

Yang threw both her hands up in the air in frustration, scoffed, and then balled her right hand in a fist and then began firmly beating down on the top of the nearby newspaper dispenser. Sun and Neptune both pursed their lips and kept silent.

"Fuck!" Yang said with one final punch before she kicked the bottom of the dispenser, leaving a dent in its side. "How the fuck did this happen, Sun?"

Yang stopped halfway through, as her gaze suddenly turned towards the crowd of onlookers past the ticker tape. Blake followed Yang's gaze and instantly picked up on what she was staring at. At the front of the yellow ticker-tape barrier was Neo, clad in her white and pink tail jacket, and her signature head of pink and brown hair. Neo's face was wiped with shock, her pink and brown eyes wide open and her mouth hanging ajar.

Before either Blake, Neo, Sun or Neptune could react, Yang's right hand shot for her shoulder holster, and a split-second later, Yang's Model 10 was resting firmly in her hand, the muzzle pointed square at Neopolitan.

"Freeze!" Yang shouted, the crowd quickly gasping at the sight of a drawn weapon. Blake wasted no time drawing her own Glock and aiming it at Neo, before Sun and Neptune quickly caught on and drew their own pistols and aimed at Neo.

Neo flinched at the sight of the weapons being drawn, but, after pausing for a second that felt like eternity, quickly relaxed her stance and hardened her face into a glare, her feet planted firmly on the ground.

"Don't move," Sun shouted, before he reached onto his belt with his right and kept his gun aimed squarely at Neo in his left. "Kneel down, hands on your back."

Neo quietly complied as Sun pulled out a pair of steel handcuffs and slowly approached Neo. Sun quickly holstered his pistol and then quickly grabbed Neo's wrists and brought them behind her back. Neo grunted as Sun slapped the steel cuffs around Neo's wrists with a few metal creaks and clicks, and then brought Neo to her feet by lifting her up by the crook of her left arm.

Neptune, who had a confused look on his face, turned to Yang.

"Who the fuck is that?" Neptune asked.

"Neapolitan," Yang replied hoarsely, out of breath. "She's Torchwick's lackey. Right now she's the only person who could maybe tell us what the fuck is going on."

"Neapolitan," Sun said, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in the court of law…"

* * *

Neptune gently guided Neo into the backseat of their car, placing his hand on her head as she lowered into the vehicle.

"Watch your head," Neptune said, before Neo was seated into the backseat of the car, and Neptune closed the backseat door with a slam. Neo stared straight ahead, a blank and vacant stare plastered on her face. Neptune sighed, and then swung open the driver's side door, lowered himself in, and then shut the door behind him. Sun and Yang observed from the sidewalk, watching silently.

"She's mute, by the way," Yang said, interrupting the silence.

"Hm?" Sun replied.

"I said she's mute," Yang repeated. "It means she can't talk."

"So...does that mean we need to get a sign interpreter-"

"She's mute, Sun, not deaf," Yang moaned, fatigued. "She can understand you, it's just going to be a lot of fuckin' fun communicating with her."

Sun nodded.

"Look," Yang said, turning to Sun. "She goes straight to the VKPD department headquarters, and she goes right into the interrogation room. No detours, no holding cells. Someone's whacking Roman Torchwick's people, and they're sure as fuck gonna go after her. I want you and Neptune in that room at all times, one of you keeping an eye on her and the other making sure that no one gets in that interrogation room. If you gotta leave, make sure you get people in that room you can trust."

Sun nodded firmly.

"What should I ask her?" Sun asked.

"'Who,' 'what,' 'when,' 'where,' 'why,' was Roman Torchwick and the other two killed. Ask her that, keep it simple, got it?" Yang said. "You probably won't get an answer. I'm betting she isn't gonna say shit and first thing she's gonna do is ask for a phone call, to which it most certainly is gonna be to a lawyer. Let her make her call, but you grill her for the half-hour to hour that you got her before her lawyer comes. And you frisk that fuckin' lawyer from head to toe, just in case."

Sun nodded, then pursed his lip.

"Yang, we fucked up, I'm sorry-"

Yang put her right hand up to stop Sun from speaking.

"Just make sure she gets to the department in one piece, and she stays that way.

Sun silently nodded, then turned on his heels and headed to the passenger side of the car. Yang watched as the car pulled away through the parting crowd, the silhouette of Neo's head disappearing as the car drove further and further out of view.

Yang sighed and shook her head, before covering her right hand with her mouth as she began to process today's shocking information.

Mercury, Emerald, and then Torchwick - all in a matter of one night. If that wasn't evidence enough that someone was clearing house with the Torchwick outfit, then the gruesome, extravagant manner in which all three were killed was. A car bomb was an inherently loud and flashy way to take someone out, and the fact that not only was all the jewelry in Torchwick's store still in place, but was rather crammed down his throat in a symbolic fashion only added to Yang's suspicion that these were all symbolic kills - meant to send a message to the remainder of the Torchwick crew, as well as the rest of Vale.

Yang was preparing to head back into the store when she caught a glimpse of a figure in the alleyway next to the store. Yang's brows furrowed, and then slowly approached to get a better view of the figure.

Yang's eyes adjusted and picked out Blake, her right hand raised to her head, cellphone in hand, as she frantically spoke to someone on the other line. Blake's movements were animated, lively - she was waving her left hand around as she spoke, and Yang could see the corners of Blake's mouth crease and fold with each spoken word.

Yang's brows furrowed further, even more perplexed, as Yang approached the corner of the entrance to the alleyway. Who in the world could Blake be talking to?

Just as Yang was pondering if she should approach Blake and see what's happening, Yang saw Blake pull the phone from her head, click a button on the phone, and - in one swift motion - snap the phone in two and then toss it into a nearby dumpster.

Yang softly gasped and then quickly turned back into the corner before Blake could see her watching.

* * *

_YXL: I think...that was the first moment, for me, that I realized that there might be something more with Blake Belladonna. I didn't know exactly what the fuck was going on, but I knew that was a burner phone she just junked. I've been around the block long enough to know that. The big question I had at that time was - why? Why the fuck did she have a burner? I think, deep down, I knew why, but I was fuckin' stupid - I wanted to believe that it was just nothing._

* * *

Yang could feel her breathing becoming rapid, the air thinning around her as her mind raced. What the hell did she just see?

Yang didn't have time to think about it, as she heard the clacking of shoes on pavement as Blake's footsteps grew louder and louder as she made her way out of the alleyway. Blake turned her head towards Yang, and almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Yang.

"Jeez!" Blake spat. "Almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry," Yang said, quickly composing herself to appear innocuous, "just came out to see Sun and Neptune off. They're moving Neo to a secure location."

"That's good," Blake said. "What else we got to do, here?"

"Not much," Yang said. "Go back inside, take pictures of the interior of the store, and note the locations of all CCTV cameras in the store. The way the cameras are set up, I'm willing to bet that they transmit remotely, so we're gonna have to subpoena whatever security company records footage in this store, so make sure you note the company too."

"Got it," Blake said, nodding, before she walked back towards the store. Yang cocked one eye on Blake as she trodded back into Roman's store, and, once making sure that she was out of Blake's view, Yang quickly glided over to the dumpster near where Blake made the call.

If Yang was lucky, Blake didn't do a thorough job of breaking the phone. If that was the case, then hopefully, the SIM card would still be readable. Yang looked from side to side, and seeing that she was clear, reached into the dumpster and grabbed the remnants of Blake's phone and then slid it into her own jacket pocket before she began walking back out of the alleyway.

* * *

Club Golden, 11:22 p.m. While the rest of the surrounding industrial plants lay silent for the night, the nightclub was bursting with raucous energy, with plenty of young, flamboyantly-dressed urbanites who had surely made their way from the nicer, more upscale part of town now descending on the entrance of what was essentially an oasis of wealth in the middle of a sea of grimy factories.

Yang pulled up to the front of the club's entrance and screeched to a halt. Exiting the car and storming towards the club's first entrance, Yang passed by a group of clubgoers in expensive shirts and dresses as her eyes scanned around for the bouncer. Yang quickly spotted him - a burly, balding man in his 40's with his arms crossed. Yang felt a wave of relief seeing the bouncer - he was big, sure, but he wasn't one of the Malachite twins, so a flash of her badge should get her inside the club, instead of a swift left hook.

Sure enough, as the bouncer spotted Yang marching to the entrance and looked ready to stop her, Yang quickly pulled out her badge from her pant's pocket and flashed it to the bouncer, which pacified him immediately. Yang breezed past the bouncer without another word.

Yang already heard the thumping bass of the club music outside, but once she was actually in the club, the music was deafening - techno beats screamed and flashing strobe lights danced across the room. Yang could see the silhouette of arms and limbs moving on the pulsing dance floor underneath, but that wasn't what Yang was focused on tonight. A cold, hard glare hidden underneath her sunglasses, Yang headed instantly towards the bar.

In front of the bar was a group of middle-aged men in finely-tailored silk suits, all of them grinning like idiots with drink glasses in their hands. In the middle of them was Junior, smiling from ear to ear as he was clearly telling a story to the men surrounding him. With the deafening music, however, it was impossible for Yang to tell what he was saying. Yang quickly approached him.

Junior took one glance at Yang, who was now only about 10 paces out from him, and quickly stopped smiling. Yang quickly raised a finger and pointed to the now-petrified Junior.

"Don't fuckin' run," Yang quickly shouted at the top of her lungs, making sure Junior heard over the deafening noise. The men surrounding Junior similarly stood frozen and startled. Yang quickly took out her badge and held it out in front of her, making sure to flash it to the entire group of men surrounding Junior.

"All of you, take a fuckin' hike," Yang commanded. All of the men quickly began walking away from Junior, whose face was beginning to turn to panic.

"See ya' later, Junior," one of the men called as he walked away. Junior quickly turned to Yang, his eyes wide open in fear and his lips quivering.

"Blondie, what the fuck are you-"

"Shut the fuck up," Yang quickly commanded. "Roman Torchwick. Who did him?"

"Yang, I-"

"No bullshit, Junior!" Yang spat. "No fuckin' 'I don't knows,' or speculations. Torchwick getting whacked was what all the news were talking about tonight, so I know for a fact that the people in your club know something about it too. I know you have info on who fuckin' clipped him."

"You seriously don't know?" Junior said.

"Fuckin' obviously, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here, asking you, now would I?" Yang shouted.

Junior pursed his lips, before looking left and right, checking that the coast was clear.

"I figured you guys would know, since you guys probably got a file on them thicker than a phonebook," Junior replied. "I mean, all of this fits the White Fang MO down to a tee."

"...the White Fang?" Yang repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, you know - the whole jewelry in the mouth thing? That's the White Fang signature. They stick shit in a victim's throat after killing them to send a message. In that ginger fuck's case, it was his jewelry."

"Send a message?" Yang asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. I mean, it's not smart, but I guess only the White Fang would be crazy or stupid enough to do shit like that, just to send a message," Junior said.

"What message?" Yang replied.

Junior grimaced, and then leaned forward to Yang's ear.

" _If you open your mouth to the police, you eat your vices_ ," Junior recited. "It's some contrite bullshit; an old Faunus mantra or something like that. At least that's what I heard."

Yang's stomach dropped as she began to put two and two together. The White Fang must've known Torchwick was talking to the police - maybe that was what got him killed.

"You said you talked to Torchwick too, right?" Junior asked.

"Goddamnit," Yang muttered.

"And before you ask-no, I haven't told a living soul that you talked to me or Torchwick," Junior said, "So I don't know who knows about you and him, but either way, the Fang must know you've been talking to him."

Yang put her hand to her chin as she suppressed a scowl, and then glanced at Junior.

"Why would the White Fang give a fuck if Torchwick was talking to us?" Yang questioned. Junior only shrugged in response.

"Does anyone know you've been talking to me too?" Yang asked.

"Nah," Junior said, "far as I know, no one knows."

Yang nodded.

"Okay. Look, either way, it's best you and I don't meet face to face like this anymore so people don't get the wrong impression," Yang said.

"Why not?" Junior asked.

"You wanna end up like Torchwick?" Yang shouted. Yang shook her head, and then turned on her heel, walking away from Junior.


	8. Fear of Fear

Blake's car was screaming down the dirt road to reach the vacant, dusty drive-in theater lot that she had gone to just a little over a week ago to see Adam. Unlike last time, the sun was still hanging in the sky, illuminating the horizon with a yellow hue. The rickety streetlights that usually lit up the dirt road remained dormant as a result.

Blake could see a tan Oldsmobile in the distance - Ilia's car. Blake felt some relief at the sight of the car already in place - the last thing she needed right now was to be sitting around, waiting for Ilia to arrive.

Blake began to ease up on the gas pedal as she drew closer to the car. Upon closer inspection, Blake could see not one, but two cars parked in the lot, with a pitch-black Shelby GT sitting next to the Oldsmobile. A sudden pang of fear hit Blake. Why were there two cars in the lot, when she only needed to meet Ilia?

Blake quickly killed the engine of the car and stepped out. Out of the Oldsmobile emerged Ilia, still clad in her windbreaker.

"Ilia-"

Before Blake could finish her thought, Blake saw the door of the Shelby open. Suddenly, Adam himself emerged from the driver's side door and stood in front of Blake.

"Adam?" Blake asked, shocked, "What are you doing here?"

"Ilia told me that you called her earlier today, saying you had an urgent update," Adam said. "If it's urgent, then I figure I should hear it."

Ilia turned her head to Blake and gave her a slight shrug, indicating to her that she had no other option. Blake gulped, and then turned to Adam.

"You know how I said that I was working Roman Torchwick for the van robbery up north in Forever Falls?" Blake said.

Adam nodded in response.

"...well, someone killed him. Just last night. They found the body today."

Ilia's eyes began darting nervously between Adam and Blake. Meanwhile, Adam slowly nodded his head without missing a beat. Blake's brow furrowed at Adam's calm demeanor in the face of the news about Torchwick.

"I heard," Adam calmly said. "Tragic."

"Adam, Torchwick was the best chance we had to catching the crew who hit the van," Blake said. "With him dead, we're gonna be twisting in the wind trying to catch those guys, and if this crew's crazy enough to blow away someone like Torchwick, who knows if they'll come after the Fang again-"

"You aren't wrong about Torchwick being the best chance to discover the identities of the robbers," Adam coolly replied, stopping Blake mid-sentence. "Torchwick was...resourceful. Cunning. Observant and intelligent. But he was also...insolent."

Blake's brow furrowed.

"Adam," Blake said. "What the hell is going on?"

Adam scoffed, and then held his hands behind his back and began to prance to the right of the Oldsmobile. Blake saw Ilia give a quizzical look towards Adam from where she was standing.

"Blake, do you know how long I've been a criminal?" Adam asked.

"...I don't know, 10 years or so?" Blake replied, uncertainty in her response. Adam shook his head.

"No," Adam said. "10 years ago was when you met me, when you joined the White Fang. No, I've been doing this a long time, much longer than either of you two."

Adam paused, and looked Blake dead in her eyes.

"I never had parents, unlike you two," Adam responded. "I was born into the gutters of Mountain Glenn, cast away as an unwanted child and thrown to the wolves of the streets. My earliest memories were growing up alone, eating rats for breakfast and garbage for dinner. I had to fight the other kids on the street for scraps just to survive."

Adam turned on his heels, beginning to waltz back to the Oldsmobile.

"Some of these kids formed gangs to get by, I formed my own. I made sure our gang went the extra mile that all the other kids on the street didn't go. If kids came after us with their fists, we stabbed them with knives. If they came back with knives, we shot them down with guns. If they came looking for us with guns, we'd hide away until the dead of night, and we'd just kill in their sleep. As we grew older and we moved into controlling the rackets of the town, we began to make a name for ourselves in the Glenn. People knew who we were, and what we've done, and that made them fear us. Even our rivals grew to be scared of us, and they knew to either fall in line, or take a bullet between the eyes."

Adam scoffed.

"Even 'Rickets,' they were scared of. 'Rickets' was a timid, little bookie who helped run the back-alley craps games for us, and they called him 'Rickets' because he had a rickety, bow-legged walk. Because he was with me, anyone who wasn't part of our gang was scared of 'Rickets,' but everyone who was in the gang loved 'Rickets'. He told a joke - the entire room would laugh. He had advice on what bets to lay - the entire room listened. Everyone loved 'Rickets. And 'Rickets' certainly enjoyed the perks of being part of my outfit - all the money, the power, the respect he commanded on the street. But the thing with 'Rickets' was that, deep down, he was greedy. It wasn't long before he was skimming from his take. A couple hundred lien here, another hundred here...it wasn't long before he was stealing Ⱡ7,000 per week. Once I actually took a look at our numbers, that's when I found out."

Adam took a deep breath, and then sighed.

"I had my men drag 'Rickets' out to a field in the middle of nowhere. He begged and pleaded for his life, said he had a sick sister he needed to take care of, said he would never steal again, that he was useful to me, and on and on and on...I would be lying if I said I was moved in even the slightest in his attempt to talk himself out of his own death. I had my men beat 'Rickets's legs until his bones were sticking through his flesh and left him to die, like a helpless animal in the middle of that field."

Adam scoffed.

"The men were upset with me after that. Understandably so - 'Rickets' had definitely grown on them, almost like a little brother - and I just had them beat him to a pulp. They hated me after that. But after 'Rickets' was killed, they never crossed me. They never dared. That's when I learned an important lesson, Blake."

Adam strode up to Blake, and before she could respond, rested his right hand on Blake's cheek.

"Be relentless against your enemies, but be cruel to your friends and the ones you lead…" Adam said, before raising his left hand to Blake next, "...and especially to the ones you love."

Petrified from fear and Adam's menacing gaze, Blake could do nothing as she felt Adam's hands on her cheeks begin to tighten their grip.

"...After all, isn't it fear that's the heart of love?" Adam sang.

By now, Adam's grip on Blake's face was beginning to hurt her, but she dared say nothing as she felt Adam's pupils practically staring into Blake's soul. She imagined that the way Adam contorted her face was amusing to him, as he emitted a small giggle as tightened his grip on Blake's face.

"Adam," Ilia's voice called out behind him, "Enough. Cut the bullshit and fill her in."

Adam scowled, and then released Blake's face. Blake let out an audible gasp of relief before Adam turned on his heels away from Blake.

"Early yesterday, Roman Torchwick was still a trusted associate of our fight," Adam proclaimed. "By the end of the day, that had changed. Roman Torchwick, operating on information you had given him surrounding the case, was apparently able to deduce who it was that killed the Albains in Forever Fall, but instead of giving me the information out of respect, he decided that it was instead worth Ⱡ2,000,000. That was his offer. So...I made him a counter-offer."

Blake paused, doubling over to make sure she heard Adam correctly, before she felt the blood drain out of her face.

"Are you saying…" Blake said, before trailing off.

"Yes, I did," Adam said. "Or, rather, I simply ordered it. Ilia here saw it through."

Blake stared at a defiant-looking Adam and an uneasy Ilia behind him for a good 5 seconds, before she felt the blood in her veins begin to boil and the words in the back of her throat begin to crawl out.

"Why the hell did you do that!?" Blake exclaimed.

"Blake, hold on," Ilia began.

"You're saying Roman Torchwick found out who the robbers were, and he was all set and ready to tell us...and you fucking killed him? Over 2 mil?" Blake cried out. "We clear Ⱡ2,000,000 in one day alone! All you had to do was give him the money, and we could put names and faces behind who hit our van."

Adam shook his head.

"Such a simple-minded way of seeing it, but what should I expect from you?" Adam muttered, before facing Blake. "Torchwick had always bent the knee to the White Fang and provided information for us for free out of respect in the past, rightfully so, but he now has decided to charge us 2 million for the information? Does that not seem disrespectful to you, Blake?"

"Goddamnit, Adam, that's what Torchwick does! He grafts people, that's how he makes his bones!" Blake protested. "Don't give me that bullshit about respect, because god knows Torchwick never actually respected you from the start. If you're telling me you didn't already know that-"

"You must take me as some sort of fool if you think I believed Torchwick was _truly_ loyal to our cause," Adam said. "But he has provided consistent, reliable services when called upon, and never sought to bill us before. Why would he all-of-a-sudden change his ways and request payments now?"

Adam leaned towards Blake, his ghastly face only inches from Blake's now.

"Let me tell you something, Blake," Adam hissed, "Anytime someone begins to show a lack of respect, they'll keep pushing until they bleed you dry. Torchwick could have requested Ⱡ2,000,000 today, and then Ⱡ4,000,000 tomorrow, Ⱡ10,000,000 by the end of next week, and so on. The minute you give a crumb of recognition to a parasite like that, that's when they've become tainted, and they will not stop until you're dead."

"Plus, how do we know that he would have provided us with truthful information anyways?" Adam continued. "Like you said, Torchwick grafts people. Maybe this time, he was trying to con us."

"You should've heard him out first," Blake fired back, "or better yet - let me bring him into the station and sit his ass down in an interrogation room and grill him for 10 hours straight, so I could tell if he was bullshitting or not."

Adam scoffed.

"Did you really think that you're capable of getting the truth out of a snake like Torchwick?" Adam responded. "Clearly, you're not apt enough to even manage your informants, given that he was about to pass on information about the robbers behind your back. I guarantee you, my love, any word that Torchwick would have given you would have been a falsity. If he doesn't respect me, he most definitely does not respect you."

Blake felt a stab of pain in her stomach at Adam's putdown, but she knew better than to display her hurt.

"Christ, Adam," Blake muttered, shaking her head, "You just killed one of the most well-known gangster in Vale and put the whole VKPD on our trail, all because he lied to you."

Blake then turned to Ilia.

"They got CCTV footage of the inside of the store," Blake said. "They are going to be looking for you-no, _I_ am going to have to be looking for you, because of this shit-"

"Well, that's good, ain't it?" Ilia interjected.

"What?"

"Blake," Ilia said, " _you're_ going to be looking for me. Isn't that a good thing? I mean, all you gotta do is let this whole thing die down, and then you can close the case. Simple. It's just like with Tukson."

"No, Ilia," Blake said, grabbing her temples. "It's not gonna work this time. They're not going to just forget a murder this big, Ilia - don't you get it? No matter how much I stall or cover-up the investigation, they'll find out eventually."

"So you're telling us, you're not going to be able to do your job?" Adam said. Blake turned towards Adam and was met by a hard glare from him. To Blake, this only meant one thing - Adam was going to have his way, whether Blake liked it or not.

Adam shook his head and began walking back to his car.

"Fix this, Blake. I don't want to hear from you again until you have names for who killed the Albains."

"What if I can't?" Blake said softly. Adam simply smirked in response.

"Then maybe I'll have to pay a visit to your parents."

Blake froze.

Without another word, Adam opened the driver's side door, sunk into the driver's side door of the car and slammed it shut. The Shelby's engine roared to life, and then peeled out towards the lot's exit, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. Blake turned her head to look at Ilia, who also met Blake's gaze.

"Listen," Ilia began, "before you chew me out-"

"How could you be so stupid?" Blake spat. "Did I not tell you that Torchwick was going to be likely the only way we could figure out who the perp was?"

"Hey, goddamnit, there was nothing I could do!" Ilia quickly fired back. "Once Adam caught wind, he wanted Torchwick gone, and there was nothing I could do to change his mind. You know how he is."

Ilia sighed.

"Look, I know that this is gonna make your investigation into the van robbery ten times harder-"

"Ilia, I don't care about that damn robbery!" Blake shouted. "What matters now is what's going to happen to you. Do you know how much heat is on you now? There's gonna be a 10-man detail looking to pinch you, and I can't stop that."

"So what?" Ilia coolly replied. "I've been in deeper shit before-"

"This is the VKPD, Ilia," Blake said, cutting off Ilia. "This isn't a matter of looking out for some street-level punks trying to get back at you for some hit you did. The police will hunt you to all corners of the kingdom and hit you with a life sentence you're caught. And this is assuming that the Remnant Investigation Department doesn't get involved, because if they do, then you are seriously fucked."

"The RID won't get involved, and they won't find shit on me, Blake," Ilia replied. "I was careful during the whole thing, the pigs are still gonna be scratching their heads on who did this months down the line."

Blake shook her head.

"I don't know, Ilia, there's CCTV footage-"

"I was covering my face, they won't be able to tell who I am," Ilia quickly replied.

Blake's brow furrowed, and she shifted her stance.

"Okay, well, where'd you actually kill him?" Blake questioned. "Were there any witnesses?"

"Vacant lot outside the city, in the dead of night," Ilia said. "No one was around."

"When you offed him, did you leave a blood splatter, or shell casing, or anything-"

"Nope. Choked him out in the trunk of his own car, clean and simple."

"What about prints? Hairs, fibers, anything forensic that can link you back to the crime-"

"I made sure I didn't leave a trace, Blake," Ilia calmly replied. "I've done enough of these before to know what I'm doing."

"Are you sure, Ilia?" Blake incredulously asked. "Cause they're gonna sweep every single surface of that store-"

"I'm sure," Ilia replied, vitriol in her tone. Blake was beginning to sense that Ilia was annoyed more by the fact that Blake was questioning her ability rather than concerned as Blake was.

Blake sighed, and turned her back towards Ilia, grabbing her temples with her right hand.

"I told you, I made sure I covered every single facet," Ilia said to Blake's back. "I knew what I was getting myself into, and I made extra sure not to fuck up."

Blake turned back towards Ilia again, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"If you knew what you were getting yourself into, why the hell did you do it?" Blake softly asked. "I mean, do you even know why Adam _really_ wanted Torchwick gone? Cause I don't buy that bullshit about disrespect."

Ilia's scowled with annoyance at Blake's question.

"Fuck if I know," Ilia spat. "But I already told you, Adam wanted him gone, and there was nothing I could do-"

"You could've just walked away!" Blake shouted. "Now you're in deeper shit than if you hadn't killed Torchwick."

"No, Blake," Ilia quietly said, shaking her head while shooting daggers at Blake with her glare. "That's where you're wrong."

Ilia slowly began to march up to Blake, stopping only when her face was inches away from Blake's.

"What the fuck do you think Adam was gonna do to me if I said no? Just tell me that 'it's okay, I understand, not a big deal?'" Ilia softly but intensely whispered to Blake. "If I told him I wasn't going to do it, it would've been my body you would've found, not Torchwick's."

Ilia slowly shook her head condescendingly towards Blake.

"I know you've been Adam's plaything for too long to know what it feels like to be truly scared of him, but now you know it ain't all sunshine and rainbows for the rest of us," Ilia said before quickly turning her back to Blake and storming away.

Blake stood still, letting Ilia's words stab her through the heart like a dagger, her eyes wide with shock.

Was this what Ilia really thought of Blake? Some sheltered little princess, who was protected by Adam? Blake felt the seething anger building up in her begin to bubble out of her calm facade.

"No, no, no," Blake growled, grabbing Ilia by the shoulder and stopping her, turning her around so she can face her. "You don't get to say that, like it's safer for me than you. You are dead fucking wrong."

Blake could feel her face turn into a snarl, something Ilia clearly hasn't witnessed before judging from the fact that a look of pure fear and shock quickly swept over Ilia's face.

"Every day, I have to show him that I love him, and I have to let him use me, abuse me, make me feel small and insignificant. If I don't, he'll kill me. I am no longer my own person - I am his, and he is to do anything he wants with me, otherwise I am defective and I am discarded," Blake hissed. "You have no fucking idea what it's like to be his own little doll to play with - day in, day out. It's too fucking much sometimes, and sometimes all I can think about is just how badly I want everything to end."

Blake threw up her hands, and with a pained, anguished face, let out a quick, hysterical chuckle.

"And you know what's the best part?" Blake said with a sad, little laugh. "Even though I could do everything in the world to satisfy him, all he has to do is decide that he is bored with me one day, and he'll just dispose of me on the side of some road, like I'm just garbage. No matter what I do, I have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. All because Adam decided that I was his toy, forever."

Blake was shaking and out of breath at this point, staring at Ilia with wild, darting eyes. Blake could feel Ilia's cool defenses eroded as she stared back at Blake with bewilderment.

"Blake...If Adam has hurt you this much, why don't you just kill him?" Ilia quietly replied.

Blake paused, her face quickly shifting to confusion.

"What?" Blake asked, exasperated.

"It's a simple question," Ilia responded. "All you gotta do is just pull the trigger on him."

Blake paused, her mouth ajar with shock, before scoffing.

"You're not serious, are you?"

"As serious as the reaper, Blake," Ilia calmly responded.

"How the hell can you suggest that, Ilia?" Blake gasped. "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe," Ilia deadpanned, "but I'm pretty sure a crazy person can see that what I'm suggesting ain't actually so crazy."

"Ilia, we can't just off Adam like it's no big deal," Blake said. "He's the leader of the White Fang - our leader - if he dies, do you know what will happen-"

"Oh, fuck off!" Ilia spat in response. "You telling me you still believe in all that bullshit Adam says about creating a future for Faunus?"

"Maybe what Adam says isn't true," Blake said. "But you have no idea the ripple effect that killing Adam will have on everyone's lives."

"Blake, we're a trafficking organization made up of criminals and murderers," Ilia said. "I'm pretty sure no one will bat a fuckin' eye if Adam goes."

Blake shook her head.

"Ilia...what are you gonna do? Kill the whole world?" Blake said. "There's gonna come a time where murder isn't going to be the solution to everything."

"Maybe," Ilia said, "but not with Adam. I mean, come on, Blake - you saw how he handled Torchwick. You really think there's reasoning with someone like that? There's no other way."

Ilia stared back at Blake with tired, empty eyes, before sighing.

"If what you said about Adam is true, you and I both know that it's only a matter of time before either he goes - or _we_ go," Ilia softly stated. "You need to decide, and you better decide fast before he makes the decision for us."

Without another word, Ilia turned her head from Blake and walked to her car. Blake watched as Ilia started up her Oldsmobile, and quickly begin to pull out of the lot.

* * *

_BB: It wasn't an exaggeration to say that practically everything that was wrong with my life at that time was because of Adam, mainly because my whole life revolved around him at that point. He wouldn't had have it any other way. But even with all his torturing, and all the little mind games he played with me, when Ilia proposed to me that we should kill him, I couldn't say "yes." After all, like I said, he was my life - what was I supposed to do without him? I was scared, I couldn't take that leap. Looking back on it, Adam had me just where he wanted me - dependent on him to the point that I couldn't leave him, so that he could toy with me all he wanted and I could never leave. Like a beat puppy that just keeps crawling back to its owner._

* * *

Two Tom Collins in, and the noise from the rest of the bar's patrons finally getting on her nerves, Yang quietly reached her hand into her sport coat's jacket, procured a carton of cigarettes, and slipped one between her pressed lips.

Yang felt eyes falling on her, and looked across the table to see Ruby, her face flushed with concern, staring as Yang reached into her pant pocket and quickly pulled out a Zippo lighter. Yang paused before flicking on the lighter, meeting Ruby's troubled look with her own baffled expression.

"What?" Yang muttered, the slender cigarette in her mouth bobbing as Yang moved her lips. Yang then quickly flicked the starter on the lighter, sparking a tiny flame she then gingerly moved towards the end of her cigarette.

"Yang…" Ruby began, "I thought you said you were quitting smoking."

Yang scoffed.

"Yeah, well, I'm wondering why I even bothered trying to quit in the first place at this point," Yang said before taking a drag.

Yang curved her lips to exhale the smoke away from Ruby, whose concern had clearly grown exponentially from her near-panicking expression at this point.

* * *

_YXL: I think it was a day or two after we found Torchwick's body that I took Ruby out for her 21st birthday. October 30th, I remember that much. Yeah, [Exhale] I took her to a bar that I thought she would like and bought her a drink. It was the Vale Taproom, in the middle of downtown near the river. It was real rustic-looking, and all the booths and bars were made from old maple wood furniture and stuff. But this wasn't like a dive bar that I met Weiss in - nah, this was more in league with the speakeasies that hipsters like Jauney here would be interested in._

_JA: Why the hell do you keep saying that I'm a hipster-_

_YXL: [Interrupting] Anyways, I knew Ruby would like the place, but I mostly went because it was one of the few bars left in the city that allowed smoking indoors. If you read the report I filed that night, we were sitting in the 5th booth from the doorway on the left-hand side of the bar, and, uh... we were there for about half an hour before the incident occured, at 2234._

* * *

"Yang, are you doing okay?" Ruby asked.

"Hmm?" Yang croaked as she took another drag from her cigarette.

Yang could feel a pang of guilt as she saw how worried Ruby was. Maybe it was the alcohol slowing her mind down, but Yang only now just realized how she was probably casting a dapper mood on what should've been a joyous 21st birthday for Ruby.

"Oh!" Yang quickly said. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I'm fine, really."

Ruby groaned and shook her head to the side in disbelief.

"Yang…"

Yang quickly but tenderly grabbed Ruby's outstretched right forearm and looked her in her eyes.

"Ruby, I swear. I'm okay." Yang said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be doing this on your birthday, of all days."

"I don't know, Yang, you've been really quiet and...distant recently," Ruby said.

Yang pursed her lips and let go of Ruby's arm, slumping into the backrest of her side of the booth. Yang felt extremely guilty at this point, looking at Ruby fret across the table.

Ruby had clearly put a lot of effort to look her best tonight - she was wearing a brand new jean jacket and a red turtleneck, and had done her short brunette hair up in a braid. In the weeks leading up to her birthday, Ruby would text Yang about how excited she was for today - namely, just being able to spend time with Yang, who she rarely saw anymore at this point. Now that the day had finally come, Yang was pretty sure she had ruined it all. Yang sighed, and then dropped her false cheery mood.

"Yeah, alright, Ruby," Yang relented. "Work has been, uh...stressful, lately."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ruby asked innocuously.

"Nah, Rubes," Yang said. "Trust me, you really don't want to hear about the shit I had to see recently."

Ruby nodded silently, and then scowled.

"I dunno, Yang," Ruby softly uttered, "To be honest, you were like this even a week before. You know, when...she...um…"

"When Weiss broke up with me?" Yang finished.

"Yeah," Ruby meekly confirmed.

Yang let out an audible exhale from her nostril as she grabbed an ashtray on the side of the table and tapped her cigarette, letting the ashes sprinkle into the porcelain dish underneath.

"I mean, yeah…" Yang trailed off. "I don't know what you want me to say about it."

"That's the thing, Yang," Ruby said. "You haven't said a peep about it since it happened, and you've been mopey and sad whenever Dad and I called you about it. Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"I don't want to bug you about it, Rube," Yang drawled. "You already got your hands full taking care of Dad, you don't need to hear about this bullshit."

"Yang, it's clearly taking a toll on you," Ruby replied. "C'mon…"

Ruby grabbed ahold of Yang's left hand and gave Yang a puppy-dog, pleading looking.

"You're always telling me how important it is to open up to other people in life. You should practice what you preach, Yang."

Yang smirked, and then brushed away Ruby's hand.

"Alright, alright," Yang said. "You really know how to guilt trip me, you know that?"

Yang sighed.

"I dunno, I guess...after whatever Weiss and I had imploded, it kinda confirmed everything I was scared of," Yang said. "When I first enrolled in the police academy when I was 18, I told myself that I wasn't going to let my job change me. I wasn't going to be like Raven - jaded, alone, angry at the world and just as quick to swing at it too. But fast-forward 5 years, and what must've been a thousand imploded relationships - look at what I've become."

Yang scoffed.

"I am everything that I feared I would become," Yang moaned. "Only way I can stoop lower is if I became a drunkard like Qrow-"

"Don't say that."

Yang paused and looked at Ruby, whose glare was now cutting into Yang.

"I-"

"Don't. Say that," Ruby said.

Yang grimaced. She knew how much Ruby looked up to their uncle Qrow, and Yang felt guilty instantly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," Yang responded. Ruby softened her expression back into concern and let go of Yang's hand."

"Yang, you're too hard on yourself," Ruby said. "You're a good person. One day you'll find someone who'll love you and respect you for who you are."

"I dunno, Ruby," Yang scoffed. "Weiss seemed like the one. She really did. And I fucked that whole thing up. Any time I build up something good in my life, I fly off the handle one way or another and I bring it crashing to the ground."

Yang sighed and stamped out her cigarette.

"It's scary to think about, Ruby, but at the rate this is going, I'm gonna scare off everyone in the world until all I got left is my job," Yang muttered.

Ruby nodded understandingly.

"Well, that's not entirely bad," Ruby consoled, "I mean, at least it'll keep you busy… and I would imagine the VKPD has you meeting lots of new people every day, who knows...maybe you'll find the right one there?"

Yang scoffed, and shook her head.

"I think all the people I interact with in my job has a collective IQ of 20, Ruby, both cops and criminals," Yang jested. "Believe me, I would much rather not interact with them."

"Really? Even your partners?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby, you know how much I hated my partners" Yang laughed. "The person who assigns partners must fuckin' hate me, because almost every time, they saddle me with the most bottom-of-the-barrel, backwards-step-in-evolution neanderthals every time. They couldn't even solve a crossword puzzle if their lives depended on it."

"Well, didn't you date one of your partners once?" Ruby giggled. "His name was, like, Roy Stallion or something-"

"Okay, yeah, that I'm ashamed of," Yang said. "And it was like, 2 months we were together before he got fired for getting hammered and wrapping our Crown Vic around a lightpole. So, it doesn't count."

Ruby chuckled, and Yang couldn't help but crack a smile, before she grabbed her glass of Tom Collins next to her and took a quick swig.

"You know, though…" Yang drawled. "My new partner, she's definitely better than the rest."

"Oh yeah?" Ruby asked. "How so?"

"Well, she knows basic math and how to form cohesive sentences, so she's better than the other nitwits I've had before," Yang spat, drawing another chuckle from Ruby. "But, I mean, she's sharp as a tack. She's been killing it with helping me with cases."

"What's her name?" Ruby asked.

"Blake Belladonna," Yang said. "She moved here from Mountain Glenn not long ago."

Without another word, Ruby slipped out her phone and began furiously typing away.

"What the hell are you doing?" Yang asked.

"I'm trying to look her up on social media to see if she's cute," Ruby replied.

"Oh my god, Ruby," Yang said, laughing as she reached towards Ruby's phone, "Stop. Please."

"C'mon Yang!" Ruby whined. "Let me take a look - hmmm, no ValeBook, no Twaddler, not even a JobConnect profile. Your partner is a ghost, huh?"

"Alright, Alright, she's... kinda cute," Yang said. The second the words left Yang's mouth, she saw Ruby look up from her phone with wide eyes and a gaping mouth that quickly spread into a mischievous smile.

"See, I told you!" Ruby giggled. "There is someone out there for you-"

"Now hold on, Rubes," Yang interrupted. "It's not gonna be like that between us. We're just partners."

"Sure," Ruby said. "I bet you had her over for drinks already, didn't you?"

"Well…"

"You did, didn't you?" Ruby said, playfully poking her sister in the shoulder. Yang gently brushed Ruby's hand away.

"I kinda did, but it was more like I was drunk, and she just happened to be there-"

"What does that mean?" Ruby asked. Yang took a good few seconds, clearly struggling to come up with a response, before she looked Ruby in the eye with a soft smile.

"She was there the night Weiss and I called it quits," Yang whispered.

Ruby's smile began to fade.

"Jeez, I'm sorry," Ruby stammered, "I didn't know-"

Yang put up her hands to signal to Ruby that it was okay.

"Yeah, I was fucked up that night. I had too much to drink," Yang said. "Blake, Weiss and I were initially going out for dinner when Blake walked in. She, uh...she took care of me that night. Helped me clean up, made sure I was okay...you know, that sort of thing."

Ruby pursed her lips.

"Jeez…" Ruby trailed off. Yang quickly waved her hands away.

"It wasn't a big deal," Yang said. "But...you know, asides from you and Dad, I don't remember the last time someone went out of their way like that to care for me."

Ruby looked Yang in the eyes, her gaze now completely deadpan and serious.

"You know, Yang," Ruby said. "It seems like this Blake woman really cares about you too. Maybe...I dunno, it would be good to be with someone like that."

"Like what?" Yang questioned confusedly.

"Someone who cares about you," Ruby replied innocuously. Yang paused and stuck her tongue in her cheek, seemingly mulling something over.

"Sure, Ruby," Yang said. "I guess you're right."

"So what's stopping you?" Ruby asked.

Yang opened her mouth to answer, but her vision quickly flashed to the alleyway outside of Torchwick's shop, and Blake snapping her phone in two and throwing it into the dumpster.

"I dunno, Ruby," Yang said. "I think I just wanna take it slow from here on out. Don't wanna rush back into anything with anyone."

"I feel you," Ruby replied cheerily.

Yang sighed.

"Look, that's enough from me tonight," Yang said. "I'm sorry I was acting all down and depressed earlier - tonight is your night, I wanna hear about what's up with you, Ruby."

Ruby laughed.

"Well, there ain't much to what's going on with me," Ruby said. "Just sitting around at home, taking care of Dad and waiting to redeploy."

"How is Dad?" Yang asked. "You said that you got someone to look after him tonight?"

"Yeah, he's fine," Ruby said. "Some old cop buddies of his stopped over at the house tonight and they're playing cards. Dad told me to get outside for once and have some fun."

Yang nodded.

"The old man better not be laying down any money in those games," Yang muttered. "How's the little mutt doing?"

"Zwei?" Ruby asked. "He's still his old, slobbering self."

Yang chuckled.

"You won't believe what he did yesterday," Ruby said. "When I was taking him out for a walk around the park, he saw a squirrel, and-"

_Bang!_

Yang quickly turned around in her seat towards the outside of the bar, where a loud pop was heard.

"What the fuck?" Yang muttered.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Within a split second, Yang had dropped to the floor, underneath the table's booth as loud pops suddenly punctuated and overtook the ambient sounds of the bar. Shrill shrieking came from the other side of the room, the sound of glass shattering, while Yang quickly covered her head.

Yang knew all too well what was happening. Evidently, so did Ruby, as she was already underneath the table and covering her head when Yang looked over.

"Yang-"

"Ruby, stay down!" Yang shouted over the ever-increasing raucous. Yang felt her body come alive like she was electrocuted, her heart pumping in overdrive, as she suddenly remembered the holstered .22 on her ankle. Yang fumbled as she brought her right leg forward and tried desperately to grapple the .22 out of its holster.

The gunshots continued, with the sounds of more glass shattering with each pop. Whoever let out the first shriek of terror had continued, practically screaming their head off. Yang instinctively flinched at each shot fired.

"Jesus, fuck!" Yang said before she finally unfastened the pistol and gripped it in her right hand. Yang quickly looked up to check on Ruby, and was greeted with the sight of a completely calm Ruby with a knife in her hand.

Ruby quickly turned to Yang, and saw Yang staring at Ruby in pure disbelief.

"Yang, let me help," Ruby calmly pleaded.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Yang gasped.

"Let me help," Ruby repeated firmly.

Yang froze. If the gunshots hadn't shocked Yang enough, the sight of the knife resting in Ruby's right hand at the ready, and her calm, focused demeanor definitely did. It was an almost surreal moment for Yang to see her sister in this light - not only was she completely unfazed by the sudden gunshots, she seemed like she was ready to face it head on. Yang realized at that point that given all of Ruby's deployments, she was probably the most level-headed person in the bar, not Yang.

"Okay…" Yang said, exasperated. Yang turned her head to the entrance of the bar and realized that the shooting had stopped. "You wanna help, you stay down and you get the people inside away from the windows and behind cover. And for god's sake, get whoever's screaming to shut the fuck up."

Ruby nodded. Yang then adjusted her grip to hold the .22 in both hands, and with a deep breath, crawled out from under the table and entered into a crouched position, her pistol aimed down the aisle.

Yang crouch-walked at a brisk pace as she proceeded towards the exit of the bar. Yang looked at the glass windows covering the entrance and saw that it was fractured, with three bullet holes in the middle. Police lights flashed outside the window, painting the brick walls of the bar with a red-and-blue lightshow. A sudden gust of wind suddenly blew out the fractured windows, sending a hail of glass shards towards Yang. Yang quickly shielded her face with her right arm while keeping her pistol steady in her left, while whoever was screaming only increased in volume.

"Shut the fuck up!" Yang yelled out as she lowered her right arm. A couple who was hiding underneath a booth near the entrance suddenly popped up from under the table, and froze at the sight of Yang.

"Down, down!" Yang hissed at the couple. The pair meekly obliged and sank back under cover. Yang continued down the aisle and then stopped in the foyer. Seeing a waist-level wall of cover in the doorway of the restaurant, Yang slid towards it and then paused to catch her breath. At this point, Yang's lungs were on fire, and she could feel the blood coursing through her veins. Yang then paused, remembering to cock the slide on her .22, and then took another deep breath and then quickly peeked over the cover.

Yang took a split second to survey the situation. Outside the restaurant, a police cruiser with its lights on was parked on the sidewalk, with both the driver and passenger side doors open. Two figures in police uniforms were standing over a body, surrounded in blood. Yang quickly ducked back down, and felt a slight sweep of relief. Whoever the patrolmen were outside, they seemed like they had a handle on the situation. Still, Yang had to make sure.

Yang reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her wallet and held it open at the crease with her thumb, making sure that the badge that rested inside of it would be visible to the officers if she held it up. Yang then stood up, badge in her left hand and her gun raised in her right, and then stepped out of the restaurant.

The two officers quickly spun towards the sound of the door opening and Yang suddenly found herself staring down the barrels from the two officers, the red and blue light from the cruiser blinding her in the background. Yang adjusted her gun away from the officers and held up her badge.

"Blue, blue!" Yang called out to designate herself as friendly. Yang used her badge to shield the light from the cruiser to get a better view of the officers. Within a matter of seconds, Yang was able to recognize who the officers were: Cardin Winchester and Russell Thrush. Yang saw Russell double over in relief, while Cardin gasped.

"Oh, thank fuck!" Cardin sputtered, exhaling with relief. "Jesus, fuck."

Yang lowered her gun and then stuck her wallet back in her pants pocket as she then glanced over at the body on the ground. The body was male - a medium-complexion, black-haired faunus with sheep horns. He was lying on his back, five bullet holes square in the middle of his chest and one in his arm, with thick, red blood beginning to pool around him. His face lay completely still; his mouth and eyes still open, while near his right hand lay a grey smartphone.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Russell shouted towards Cardin.

"I-I-I don't know!" Cardin stammered as a response. "It looked like a gun!"

"What?" Russell shouted in response.

"A gun! It looked like a fucking gun, in his hand!"

"Are you fuckin' blind? That's a phone!"

"What?" Cardin gasped hoarsely as he took another look towards the dead body.

Yang's mind was racing, but it was beginning to be clear what was happening.

"What the fuck happened here?" Yang quickly commanded.

The two officers, reminded of Yang's presence, quickly looked up at Yang in alarm, before mellowing into a slight relief.

"Look, we'll tell you later," Cardin said. "Right now, we need you help, man. Look, there's a-a-a pistol in the trunk of our cruiser, I need you to get it out and bring it to me, while Russ and I break these bodycams-"

"Hold the fuck on," Yang said. "You want me to what?"

"The gun, man! Grab it!" Russell shouted, before he ripped off the GoPro strapped to his chest and then spiked in onto the ground, shattering it into five different pieces with a loud clang. Yang spotted Cardin reaching towards his chest to do the same, when Yang felt her arms go into autopilot and she instinctively raised her pistol towards Cardin.

"Don't," Yang firmly commanded.

Cardin paused with a deer-in-the-headlights look, and then glanced back towards Yang.

"What?" Cardin repeated.

"Do not touch that bodycam," Yang said firmly, her sights square on Cardin's chest.

"Yang," Russell began as he took a step towards Yang, "what the fuck-"

"Don't fuckin' move!" Yang shouted, swinging her arms towards Russell. "Guns on the ground, slowly."

Cardin and Russell both looked at each other with a look of uncertainty, and then dropped their pistols to the ground.

"Alright," Yang said. "Now, put on your cuffs."

"Yang," Cardin growled, "What the fuck do you think you're doing? You know you're aiming your gun at police, right?"

"Listen, Officer Fuckhead, shut the fuck up," Yang said. "You better get those cuffs on right now. I'm not asking."

Cardin and Russell both began to glare at Yang as they slowly reached towards their belt and brought out their own pairs of handcuffs. Yang watched with hawk-like eyes as the two slowly slapped the cuffs onto their own wrists and fastened them with a click. Yang then tucked the pistol into the back of her waistband, and walked over to Cardin, reaching to the still-intact bodycam fastened to his chest.

"You're not gonna get away with this, Yang," Cardin said in a low, gravelly voice. "They'll fucking fry you."

"Nuh uh, I don't think so," Yang said. "I'm not the one who just dropped an unarmed faunus cause of an itchy trigger finger."

"Hey," Russell protested, "we didn't do shit-"

"Bullshit all you want, you two!" Yang spat as she ripped the bodycam from Cardin's chest. "Once we get dashcam and bodycam footage of what happened here, we're gonna know what really happened."

"Yang?" Ruby called out from inside the bar. Yang turned to the bar to see Ruby standing in the doorway.

"Ruby, get back inside!" Yang called out as police sirens grew steadily louder and louder. Yang saw Ruby nod slowly and slink back inside.

Yang felt the adrenaline begin to crash in her, and she bent over, resting her hands on her bent knees before she let out a deep exhale. Yang groaned as she stood back up, and then covered her mouth with her hands in distress. Yang felt like her nerves were fried, while the sinking feeling in her stomach grew more and more by the second.

Yang felt a warm sensation on her hands, and then removed it. Staring down at her hands, Yang spotted fresh blood smeared on her palms. Yang dabbed her fingertips on her right cheek again, drawing more blood on her hands. It was then that Yang felt a stinging sensation on her face, which made Yang realize that she must've been cut by the glass shards when the windows gave out.

Yang scoffed, and then slunk down into a seated position on the sidewalk as she peered over to the body of the victim to the side. The pool of blood underneath him had reached the edge of the sidewalk and was beginning to pour over onto the asphalt underneath. Yang sighed, and then turned her head forward, waiting patiently as more red and blue lights came into view and the police sirens grew louder and louder.


	9. Criminal Informants

Yang rubbed the band-aid on her right cheek as she briskly glided through the busy hallway towards the closed door at the far end. The band-aid was uncomfortable, but Yang found that no matter what she did, she couldn't get this certain cut to clot or scab over, so the band-aid was necessary. Yang sighed as she approached the door, knocked twice, and then opened it.

Yang was instantly greeted with a room with pastel walls illuminated in a dim, sickly green-hued fluorescent light overhead. The walls were lined with shelves of computer equipment and servers, while to her right, a light blue glow emanated from a computer screen, with a woman seated in front of it.

The figure quickly turned in her chair to Yang. She was wearing a chocolate-brown buttoned shirt, black slacks and a lanyard around her neck. Atop her mop of long, brunette hair stood two, tall bunny ears, standing straight up in attention. The woman looked at Yang with a look of shock for a second, before a smile quickly crept across her face.

"Yang!" Velvet called out. "Oh my gosh, long time no see!"

"Hiya, Velvet," Yang casually replied. "How you doin'?"

"Not bad, not bad," Velvet said. "How 'bout you?"

Yang shrugged.

"Eh," Yang said, before pointing to her band-aid.

"Yeah, I heard," Velvet softly said while nodding understandingly. "That's rough, honey. I'm sorry."

Yang gave Velvet a soft smile and nodded in agreement.

* * *

 _YXL:_ _Given that half the VKPD was comprised of people who barely passed their GED exams, and the other half was a bunch of geezers who barely knew how to open emails on their phones, the IT department of the VKPD - or "techies" as they were affectionately known - were the backbone to providing consultation on technology or cyber-related crimes. Out of all of them, Velvet Scarlatina was the best of them. I never knew how, but if you needed access to camera systems and their records, or if you needed something encrypted or decrypted, she was your gal. And luckily, she was a friend._

* * *

"So, what brings you over to this side of the department?" Velvet asked. "I figured you Robbery and Homicide guys would've been too busy to make your way over to us Techies."

"Well, I need your help on something," Yang said in a lowered voice. "One of them, I can't go to anyone in my department for help, and the other...it's more personal."

Velvet's brow furrowed.

"Personal?" Velvet asked.

"Well, not really," Yang said, "I just need something done kinda off-the-books."

"Okay..." Velvet said, uncertainty in her tone.

Yang reached into her coat's pocket and then pulled out the bodycam.

"Listen, you already heard about all that business with Cardin Winchester in front of the Vale Taproom already," Yang said. "The Robbery-Homicide division is already taking that case, and decrypting and archiving the dashcam footage, but I got a bodycam here that belonged to Winchester."

"How'd you get this?" Velvet asked. "From what I heard, both bodycams were destroyed-"

"Nah, that ain't true," Yang said. "Trust me, I was there. Now, I'm coming to you and not Internal Affairs because they put Cardin's boy Sky Lark as the IA guy in charge of this case, and to be honest, I can't guarantee he won't do anything funny when it comes to accessing and archiving the footage on this camera."

Velvet pursed her lips.

"I dunno, Yang," Velvet said. "I'd definitely do it for you, but do you have authorization to come to me to do this?"

"I do, I'm technically assigned as special liaison on this case," Yang replied, "if anyone gives you shit about it, I'll take the blowback. Just tell them I told you to do it, and you didn't know."

Velvet's brow furrowed, before she sighed.

"Alright, I think I can do this," Velvet said. "It's gonna take a little bit of time to decrypt the camera and go through all the footage, though."

"Not a prob," Yang said. "Thanks, hon."

"So what was the other thing you needed?" Velvet said.

"Yeah…" Yang said, before she fumbled around in her other coat's pocket and quickly pulled out a ziploc bag with the discarded, broken flip phone that Blake tossed out inside.

"About 4 days ago, I saw my partner make a call and then immediately junk this phone," Yang said, hushly. "I'm not sure, but I think this might be a burner."

"Really?" Velvet said, her face displaying uncertainty. "If it's a burner, it's gonna be hard to track."

"Yeah, I know," Yang said. "I wanna say it's nothing, and I doubt we're gonna get anything useful out of it, but I just want to make sure."

Velvet held up the ziploc bag close to her eyes and then frowned.

"Is that...ketchup on the phone?" Velvet asked in disbelief.

"Yeah…" Yang said meekly. "She tossed it into a dumpster before I fished it out."

Velvet shook her head.

"Look, I know you probably won't be able to get jack out of it, but if you could at least take a look, I'd really appreciate it," Yang said.

"Alright," Velvet said. "I can see. Anything else?"

"Oh, one more thing," Yang said. "I just want to do a double check on my partner's background. She was with the Mountain Glenn PD before she came here, and I just want to verify some of the things she's been saying. I can't request that info without subpoenas to the Mountain Glenn PD, which is going to set off a bunch of bells and whistles, but I know that as an IT officer-"

"-I got access to some of the Vale PD Intranet records," Velvet finished. "I know, Yang."

"Could you do me this favor, Vel?" Yang asked. "I'll owe you one."

Velvet pursed her lips again, before she nodded.

"Sure, I can do it, as long as you don't tell anyone where you got the info from," Velvet said. "What's your partner's name?"

"Blake Belladonna," Yang said.

Velvet nodded.

"Alright, Yang, I got you covered," Velvet said with a smile. "On one condition."

Yang's brow furrowed.

"Next time you go to that banh mi place in the residential district, promise me you'll get me a #5, yeah?" Velvet grinned.

Yang scoffed.

"You asked me to get you a #5 the last three times I went. You know they got other things besides spring rolls, right?" Yang jested.

"Hey, so what if I like spring rolls?" Velvet pouted. "What's the big deal?"

Yang laughed.

"Alright, Vel, #5 from the banh mi place. You got it," Yang said before turning on her heels and closing the door behind her.

* * *

It was only a 3 minute walk across the skybridge for Yang to get back to her desk. The minute that Yang set foot back into the RHD's office, Yang could feel a thousand glares cast upon her from everyone at their desks.

Amidst the sea of accusatory and hostile eyes, Yang only found one set of amber eyes displaying worry - Blake's. Yang sighed and took the final steps to her desk across from Blake's and sunk down with a groan and shut her eyes, completely drained.

"Hey," Blake croaked out. Yang opened a single eye to glance towards Blake, and then shut it again.

"Hey," Yang quietly replied.

"You okay?" Blake asked.

Yang silently nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Yang replied. "Thanks for, uh...being the only person in the department who seems to give a shit."

* * *

_BB: In the VKPD, Mountain Glenn PD, any police department, there was one unspoken rule that everyone followed - cops don't go after other cops. You found out your partner is pocketing some confiscated cash? You turned the cheek. Internal affairs pulled you aside and asked you for incriminating information on someone in your department? You kept your mouth shut. One of them gets caught up in a brutality case? You did everything you could to back them up - even going so far as to fake evidence._

_LR: You think Yang knew this when she decided to assist in the case with Cardin Winchester and Russell Thrush?_

_BB: I dunno - on one hand, I knew Yang wasn't stupid. But the way she was going after the case, it really made me think she thought she could win._

* * *

Yang heard footsteps approaching her desks, and then opened her eyes. A detective in a steel-grey suit and long, dark-blue hair tied up in a ponytail was slowly closing in towards Yang.

"Yang," the detective greeted, "you got a minute?"

Yang paused, and then groaned as she stood up from her chair.

"Sure, Sky," Yang whined.

Blake watched as she and the blue-haired detective walked outside of the office.

* * *

"Alright, what do you want?" Yang nonchalantly asked.

"Well, Yang, I figured I should break the news to you directly," Sky replied smugly. "As the lead investigator of this case, and given the nature of the case, I was briefed directly about the allocation of resources and the direction the case would take with Commissioner Ozpin."

"Yeah?" Yang replied with impatience.

"He felt-and I should stress, this is Ozpin speaking, not me-your role as special liaison in this case isn't really necessary," Sky stated, "and it would be best we didn't have too many people working on the detail for this case."

Yang grinned.

"Okay," Yang sneered. "Let me ask you something, Sky - did this meeting with Ozpin even actually happen?"

Sky froze. Yang laughed, having caught Sky's bluff.

"Come on," Yang said. "I know Oz too well. And he has no tolerance for this kinda bullshit."

"Yang, don't make this difficult," Sky moaned.

"Listen, fuckhead, let's cut the bullshit," Yang said. "I know you're in deep with Cardin, alright? I know you got that fuckin' 'brothers to the end,' 'scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' thing with him. You're gonna get them off the hook. But you know what? There's a dead kid who's laying in the coroner's office in the basement of this building because of Cardin, and he doesn't get to walk away from that so easy. I'm gonna make sure of that."

"Look, Yang," Sky said, shifting his feet, "I'm not gonna argue with you. Cardin fucked up. But you gotta understand - a lot of the patrolmen, they gotta watch their ass out there. It's a jungle, you know? Cardin felt threatened-"

"Threatened?" Yang questioned dubiously.

"Yeah, threatened," Sky said, continuing. "You know, it's late at night, and they see some kid - a young, Faunus male - and they see a suspicious object in his hands-"

"It was a fuckin' phone, man," Yang said, "the kid had a phone in his hand. Not a gun."

"Well, it was late at night, they couldn't be sure," Sky quickly retorted.

"Sky, I was there," Yang said, "the whole street was lit up like it was the middle of the day, and the kid's phone was white. If Cardin and Russell really thought that was a piece, they need to be classified as legally fuckin' blind or something."

Yang groaned, and leaned in close to Sky, within whispering range.

"Look, Sky, I know exactly what happened," Yang said. "Cardin and Russell are making the rounds when they see some young Faunus kid walking the streets of the Residential District. First thought that goes through those hamhead's minds: 'What the fuck is some Faunus doing in the nice side of town? We better show this motherfucker that the cops run this neighborhood.' Cardin and Russell pull a code 1 on the kid and stops him, and when one of the bozos see what _looks_ like a gun, that's when they get spooked and mag-dump him."

"Yang, they reported they were scared for their life," Sky said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You ever consider that?"

"If they were really spooked," Yang whispered back, "then maybe they shouldn't be a cop."

Sky pursed his lips in response.

"Well, Yang, that's the plan," Sky said.

"What is?" Yang replied, confused.

"Well," Sky began, "we don't know what the final rulings are going to be, but they're definitely not going to still have their badges once the investigation is through."

"Oh yeah?" Yang said, arching her eyebrows, "So they're just gonna get their hands slapped, pensions revoked, and then move on with their lives?"

Yang scoffed.

"Yang, it's not like nothing happened," Sky replied, frustrated. "Their lives are already ruined by what happened."

"No it's not," Yang said. "Once this is done, they'll go get fuckin' bartending jobs. Whine and bitch about how they used to be a cop all day. Maybe, if they're smart, they'll write a book about all this shit and make a fuck ton of money. No, Sky, that's not a ruined life. A ruined life is getting shot three times in the chest in front of a bar by two thumb-twiddling, dip-chewing jocks who squeeze the trigger at the first inkling of trouble."

Yang leaned towards Sky, within whispering range.

"Let's get this clear," Yang growled. "What happened was murder. And I will not stop until that's the sentence handed down to Cardin and Russ. So you either swallow that pill and get used to me, or you talk to Oz for real this time about pulling me from the case, and you better fuckin' tell him why."

Without another word, Yang turned on her heels and marched away.

* * *

Blake hadn't got much done during the day. While the rest of the office buzzed around her, practically humming with energy, Blake found herself staring emptily at the objects on her desk. Her desk phone sat silent, it's spirally cord laying misshapen and haphazardly across the middle of the desk, while pens were strewn in every which direction. Blake's desk looked like a bombed-out warzone, but any time Blake began to work up the will to clean it up, Blake felt the energy drain out of her.

Across from her lay Yang's desk, similarly messy, but now vacant after Yang had left for the day. A small coffee mug that simply said "Allergic To Bullshit," with a picture of a cartoon bull on it, lay at the corner of Yang's desk.

Blake knew it was a tacky gift that Yang would certainly enjoy. Yang was fond of silly, immature puns that no doubt drove the rest of the department insane, but Blake secretly enjoyed some of them. Looking at Yang's mug, Blake would have given a small chuckle or laugh just thinking about it, but now, Blake had no energy left to feel anything at all - except for the slight, numbing tingling in her body, left wracked from 48 hours straight with barely a wink of sleep.

As sudden as oxygen departing the cabin of an airplane, Blake suddenly felt the air in the office thicken to the point where she felt she couldn't breath. At the same time, a tinnitus-esque ringing grew louder and louder in Blake's ears, to the point where the sounds of phones ringing and copying machines whirring gave way to an oppressive wall of white noise, and the lights in the office began to flicker on and off.

Almost like an invisible force was guiding her head, Blake turned her gaze to side of her and Yang's desk. Standing in the middle of the office was a large, hulking fighting bull with a coat of black fur. Not another living thing in the office remained.

The bull stared straight back at Blake, it's beady eyes returning an empty gaze. Blake spotted a sinewy-white cataract covering the bull's left eye. The bull's sides expanded and contracted as it huffed, groaning and growling as it did so. It's wretched, curving horns sat atop the bull's head, stained crimson-red with blood that slowly trickled downward, leaving clean little lines. The bull stamped it's feet and bobbed its head as it continued to stand in front of Blake.

Somewhere inside of what little processing power she had left, Blake knew she should run. At the very least, she knew that she should at least have felt fear. But Blake felt nothing. Numbed by the bleeding-loud ringing noise and hypnotized by the pulsing lights, Blake accepted this as normal. Blake accepted this, as if-

"Hey."

The lights came back on. The ringing stopped. Blake sucked in a gust of air as she returned to the land of the living.

Blake cocked her head upwards to see an imposing, large detective in an olive-green suit standing over her. It was Yatsuhashi, the detective that sat two or three desks behind Blake.

_Brrrring!_

Blake almost leapt out of her seat at the sound of the phone on her desk ringing. A red light on the upper right hand corner of the telephone indicated that Blake had an incoming call.

"Your phone is ringing," Yatsu said. "It's been ringing for the last minute or so. Do you mind if you could pick it up?"

Blake gazed at Yatsu for what must've felt like an eternity, before she looked back at the telephone. Indeed, the phone rang again, guaranteeing to Blake that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

Blake looked back at Yatsu and then nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah. Sorry," Blake croaked.

Yatsu rolled his eyes and then walked back to his desk. Blake sat in her chair, before turning her eyes back to the ringing telephone.

* * *

_BB: I wasn't sleeping that well before, but I think I was a full-blown, chronic insomniac at that point. I'm pretty sure after Roman's murder, I only got 3-4 hours of sleep in total during the three to four days that followed._

_NV: Why didn't you go to the department shrink to get you sleeping meds or something?_

_BB: I did. Didn't work. Tried off-the-books treatment too, didn't work. Every drink, barbiturate, medication I tried - nothing. I wasn't gonna get any more sleep, and I kinda accepted that too. It wasn't the first time I had hallucinations, but it was the first time it felt so...real._

_LR: What kind of hallucinations were you having?_

_BB: I don't know. I guess I'd...see things. Things that weren't there, necessarily. Or things would come alive. Spectres that would attack me. [Scoffs] God, I sound insane, don't I?_

_LR: No, no. Please, Ms. Belladonna, continue._

_BB: [sigh] Every hallucination I had would leave me felt like I got stuffed in a washing machine and left out to dry. But the worst was when I'd have flashbacks. I'd be back in Mountain Glenn, back with...with…_

_NV: Taurus?_

_BB: …[nodding] Yeah. Adam. And the worst part is, it wasn't even a nightmare for me at that point, because… it all felt so real._

* * *

Blake sighed, and then lifted the phone off of it's dock and brought it up to her ear.

"Yeah?" Blake said into the phone.

"Blake?" crackled out of the other end of the phone. It was an unknown voice - a man's. Blake's brow furrowed and concern began to mount as she wondered who this might be calling her.

"Who is this?" Blake interrogated.

"Look, you don't know me, but I work over at the Black Post Bar, over on Racine Avenue. You know, the bar with the, uh-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Blake said, cutting the man off. "You don't gotta say."

* * *

_BB: The Black Post Bar was a dive bar in the agricultural district. They were part of the bars and restaurants that kicked up to the White Fang in Vale, but since it was a quiet bar that didn't have a whole lot of cops coming in there all the time, it was where a lot of the low-level White Fang guys hung out at._

* * *

"Why are you calling me at my work? If it's an emergency-"

"No, no - no emergency," the voice crackled. "Well, not really."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's Leon Hamec," the voice crackled.

Blake's stomach dropped. She knew that Leon Hamec was one of Ilia's aliases, used when she was referred to over the phone.

"What about him?" Blake asked.

"Well, she-err, he-got into a...teeny, tiny altercation with one of the patrons of the bar."

"What?" Blake practically shouted in shock.

"It's nothing big, really," the voice crackled. "But he's sitting here at my bar, and I think it would be best for everyone if he would leave, but...he's really not in driving shape. I figured it's a 'police' matter, but to save the boys in Central Booking the effort and so Leon here doesn't spend the night in jail-"

"Alright, alright," Blake moaned, "I got it. I'll be right there. Keep Leon there, make sure no more trouble pops up, alright?"

Blake put her phone back on the hook and then practically leapt to her feet, grabbing the coat off of her chair behind her.

* * *

By the time Blake had arrived at the Black Post, the sun had already gone down, and street lights lit up the shabby little bar in front of her.

Before Blake had pulled into the parking lot, which was essentially just a gravel-filled patch surrounded by cornfields stripped barren by the fall chill, Blake had made sure that her pistol stood at the ready on her hip. Blake knew all too well that being called out to a bar in the middle of nowhere was the perfect setup to making unsuspecting victims "disappear" - they'd come to friendly confines under the false pretense of safety, and then they'd come out dead.

Blake looked to the side and saw Ilia's Oldsmobile parked at the far end of the lot. Blake didn't know if confirming that Ilia was really at the bar assuaged some of Blake's fears, or made her feel worse.

Blake shut the engine off on her car and then stepped out, making her way towards the bar. Each step Blake took felt more and more painstaking as she heard the soft crunch of gravel underneath her shoes.

Blake latched onto the bar's door handle and opened it. Blake was hit instantly with warm air, the stench of stale beer and the soft din of hard rock playing over the stereos, dimmed to a volume barely above a whisper. Blake stepped in and surveyed the scene - the poorly-lit bar was empty, save for a group of three in the far end of the room seated at a table, and a slouched over figure at the far end of the bar - Ilia. The group of three visibly flinched as Blake entered the bar, which struck Blake as odd, while Ilia remained unresponsive, her head burrowed into the creases of her arms on the bar.

An old, rotund man with greying hair from behind the bar instantly turned to Blake with concerned eyes.

"You Blake?" the man hoarsely asked.

Blake nodded silently, before her concerned eyes fell on Blake again.

"What happened?" Blake asked softly.

"Hey, look, we didn't mean nothing, we weren't looking for trouble," called out a voice from the group in the corner of the room. In a flash, the bartender instantly pointed to the group and scrunched his round face into a scowl.

"Bullshit, you didn't mean nothing, you fuckin' cocksuckers!" the bartender raspily shouted out. "You fuckin' deadbeats come in here every night, stirring shit up."

"Hey, fuck you Jimmy," another man slurred. Blake noticed that this man had a large, swollen shiner on his left eye, along with a cut, bleeding lip and little cuts on his forehead. "You coulda' saved yourself a lot of trouble if you didn't let animals like _her_ hang around this bar all day. You shoulda' known those people are nothin' but trouble-"

"Oh, they're trouble?" Jimmy the bartender angrily responded, a little bit of spittle spraying in his response. "If they're trouble, you're a fuckin' atom bomb-level of fuckin' trouble, you deadbeat cocksucker-"

"Hey, you don't fuckin' talk like that to us, Jimmy-"

"I'll talk to you however I like, you little punk shit!"

"How about I go behind that fuckin' bar, and squash your head? Then we'll see whose a little punk-"

"Oh yeah? Try me, you little runt."

"Fuck you, fatso-"

In a split second, Ilia suddenly lifted up her right hand and then threw a shot glass onto the ground, splattering little glass shards all over the tile floor. Both Jimmy and the crew in the corner shut up instantly as Ilia suddenly lifted her head up. A large, bleeding gash on the upper left of her forehead left a large trail of red pouring down the left of her face, while her eyes stared lifelessly at Blake. Ilia's lips then curved into a weak smile, before she turned towards Jimmy. Jimmy looked back at Ilia with a disapproving glare.

"Ilia," Jimmy said, "Stop breaking my fuckin' glasses, for fuck's sake-"

"Jimmy, if those three fuckheads aren't out of the bar in 30 seconds, you're gonna have to clean up more than glass," Ilia slurred in a soft voice.

Jimmy grimaced, and then gave a look towards Blake. It was all Blake needed to see to know to step in. Blake sighed, and walked over to the three men, who all wore a frightened look on their face. Blake sighed, and then pulled out her wallet, procuring a few Ⱡ20 notes.

"Look, here's a little money for your drinks, and for the hospital," Blake said, before gesturing to the wounded man. "I don't know how bad this guy got it, but I'm gonna say he should go see a doctor, just to be safe. Now get the hell outta here."

"Well," one of the unwounded members of the group whined, "what about the police? Are we gonna have to talk to them?"

"You just did," Blake said.

The men paused and gazed at the right side of Blake's waist, undeniably spotting the badge Blake had on. The men turned to Blake.

"Get out of here," Blake repeated. "Go on."

The three men nodded, and then stood up from their seats and headed towards the exit of the bar without another word. Blake saw the wounded man and Ilia exchange a wordless, menacing stare-off before the man turned his gaze back in front of him and saunter out of the bar.

Blake then turned to Ilia, who sat motionless, staring down at the wooden, beer-soaked bartop.

* * *

_BB: In all the years that I knew Ilia, I never knew her to be careless. When she was angry, she was vicious, sure, but she never got angry unless the job called for it. Otherwise, she was emotionless. Or, rather, she just did a good job at hiding how she felt. Maybe, all this time, she was actually just as angry and violent as she was that night I found her in the Black Post, and I just didn't know it. But, either way, that night was the first time Ilia snapped and began to show her true colors to the world. And in Adam's sphere of influence, that could mean death._

* * *

"Ilia, what the fuck?" Blake hushly spat, sliding into the barstool next to Ilia.

"What can I say, I'm a good fighter," Ilia slurred. "If those guys didn't want to get beat, they shouldn't have picked on me."

"What the fuck is your problem?" Blake replied. "I thought I told you the last time we met to lay low. Now you're picking fights with people in bars?"

"I'm not picking fights with nobody," Ilia growled back to Blake, flashing her smoldering eyes to her. "The fight came to me."

Ilia dropped her death stare at Blake and then looked down at the countertop and hung her head, like a defeated dog.

"Just like it always does," Ilia muttered.

Blake pursed her lips and paused, unable to respond.

"Ilia, you cannot fucking do this," Blake commanded.

"Do what?" Ilia questioned, annoyed.

"I mean, you can't go tool up anyone that upsets you," Blake responded.

"Why the fuck not?" Ilia muttered in response. "Adam clips anyone who upsets him. In fact, Adam clips people who do upset him, and people who don't, too. He clips everybody. Why can't I do the same?"

"Cause you got a heart, Ilia," Blake said.

Ilia instantly burst out in drunken giggling.

"What the fuck do you think I am, a kindergartener? " Ilia slurred. "Gee whiz, thanks a bunch, Ms. Belladonna, you sure make me feel like a special kid-"

Blake grabbed the back of Ilia's head and turned her head towards her, before cupping Ilia's cheeks between her hands.

"Ilia, you need to get a fuckin' grip and listen to me," Blake sternly whispered. "This is not a game, and this is no time for slip-ups. You want to go beat up some fucking nimrods in bars on your own? Go right ahead. But you can't do it now, of all times."

Blake grimaced, and let go of Ilia's face. Ilia rubbed her jaw, and then cast her eyes back down towards the wooden bar.

"I mean, Christ, Ilia," Blake said, "you've never acted up like this before. Why now, of all times? Couldn't you just go a little bit longer before you lose your shit?"

Ilia's brow furrowed, and she then cast her smoldering glare back towards Blake.

"You know who you sound like right now, telling me what I can and can't do like you own me?" Ilia said. "Adam. With all his fuckin' commanding, and reprimanding."

Blake paused, visible pain on her face from what Ilia said, before she felt her blood begin to boil.

"Ilia," Blake began, "you listen here-"

"No, you listen!" Ilia cried out angrily. "You can push me away and ignore me all you want before, but you listen to me now!"

Blake instantly backed down, as Ilia then grabbed Blake's shirt collar and pulled her close.

"You're not the only one getting fed up with Adam's bullshit. Difference between you and me is that I actually have to get my hands dirty with it and get directly involved with him," Ilia spat. "All the time, I do exactly what he says, to a tee, and I never fucking complain and never second-guess. I earned the right to do whatever it is I please on my own, as long as I'm not stepping on Adam's toes."

"You think Adam gives a shit about what you want, Ilia?" Blake said. "He doesn't care. He finds out about what you did here tonight, he's gonna come after you."

"Well, he's not gonna find out about tonight - is he, Blake?"

Blake paused, and shook her head. Ilia glared at Blake one last time, before she scoffed, reached into her coat pocket, and pulled out a single cigarette, lit it, and then exhaled a stream of smoke.

"If I want to go see somebody, it's my business," Ilia muttered to Blake. "If I want to go get piss-drunk at a bar somewhere, it's my business. Somebody pisses me off and I gotta smack the shit out of them? It's my business. So don't you go around telling me what the fuck it is I can and can't do."

Ilia brought the cigarette back between her lips and took another drag, the lit end burning bright orange, before she exhaled another plume of smoke and looked off to the side, forlornly.

"It's not like I'm ever gonna get what I really want, anyways," Ilia muttered, almost out of earshot of Blake. Blake's brow furrowed as she heard what Ilia had to say.

"What was that?" Blake asked.

"Nothin'," Ilia muttered tiredly, before hopping off of her stool. "Look, I'm sorry, Blake, but I'm gonna be headin' out-"

"No, no, wait," Blake hurriedly said, grabbing onto Ilia's shoulder. "You said, 'what you really want.'"

"Yeah," Ilia drawled, "glad your ears are workin'. I'll see you-"

"No, Ilia," Blake said. "Hold on. What is it that you really want?"

Ilia scoffed.

"I wanna get the fuck outta this bar," Ilia slurred. "Maybe take a shower. Put an icebag on this big fat bump on my forehead, the one that asshole gave me. Then I'll sleep for about a week. That's what I really want."

"Ilia, please," Blake said, grabbing onto Ilia's arm after she tried to leave once more. "Just...please tell me what it is that you want."

"Why?" Ilia spewed with venom. "You suddenly fuckin' care, all of a sudden?"

"Ilia, please," Blake pleaded. "I...tell me what it is that you want, and I promise I'll do my best to make it happen for you."

Ilia snorted with laughter.

"No, Blake," Ilia chortled. "It's not like that. You can't get it for me. Just let it go."

"Ilia…" Blake softly whispered. "Please."

Ilia pursed her lips and stared off in the distance for a good 10 seconds, before she turned back to Blake.

"Alright, I'll tell you," Ilia said, shaking her head. "I'll tell you what it is that I wanted."

Ilia sat back down in her stool.

"When I met you, I wanted you to love me. Simple as that."

Blake froze. Ilia turned to Blake with the most somber look that Blake had ever seen, before her lips curved back into a sad smile and she scoffed.

"Don't fuckin' laugh. I'm serious," Ilia said, before sighing. "Before you, I had no one. My parents died in a mine before I could even get to know them. Then I was out on the streets. I learned early on that I was going to be used and screwed over by everyone. And, I said, 'okay.' That's the way the world works, and there's no fighting that, so I'd better do the same and fuck people over myself to survive. But, even through all that bullshit, I wanted to tell myself that there was still going to be someone out there, someone I could...I don't know how to say it - feel a connection with? You know, like...someone you could go to if you had problems, or if you were weak, or someone you know wouldn't take the love you show them, and, and... twist it into a knife in your back."

Ilia scoffed.

"When I met you, it was like…"

Ilia snapped her fingers.

"...Like that. I knew - you were the kindest, most passionate, strongest person I had met in all of my life. You weren't just someone I could trust, you were someone who made me want to be better. Kinder. Fight like hell in life, and leave the whole every-person-for-themselves mindset behind."

Ilia sighed.

"For the longest time, I had hoped you loved me back. But Adam came. And that's when he and you - you two grew close. And, you know, after that…"

Ilia shook her head.

"...I hated you for a little while. I was young and stupid, and I felt betrayed and alone again. I figured you were just going to dump me on the side of the road, just like the rest of the world. And all the little lies and twists that Adam used to say about you, like how you were secretly scared of me, that didn't help."

Ilia looked down at her cigarette and took another drag.

"But, you know, the more and more I saw how you were with Adam, and - well, your nature, I guess - I think I began to understand, that, all along - I think it was you who needed someone to lean on more than me. Someone who you could rely on, help protect you against Adam. Someone to help guide you into the light."

Ilia sighed.

"That's when what I wanted, what I truly desired, changed. I couldn't give a damn if you loved me back anymore - the only thing I wanted was to help you be happy. I wanted you to be free from Adam, from the streets, from - I don't know, everything in the world that would hurt you, I guess. If I couldn't love you, I could at least protect you."

"You know, when you left Mountain Glenn for Vale," Ilia said, "Adam wanted to kill you. I had to stop him. Took a few lumps from him, doing so. But, in the end, I thought that you were finally going to make a clean break. And, like everything with you, I had mixed emotions when you left. But in the end, I think I felt more happy than sad that you were gone, cause I thought that I had finally made a difference in your life."

Ilia stared off forlornly towards the rack of liquor bottles lining the back wall of the bar.

"Of course, I found out I was wrong when I got to Vale, and I finally saw that not only were you still under Adam's thumb - he changed you too. I think he finally broke you, Blake."

Ilia scoffed.

"You used to care about things, Blake, things that were larger than any of us combined. You weren't afraid to stand up, fight for what's right. But now...all you seem to care about is surviving another day, eking out some meager existence under Adam's rule."

"I know there's still a good person somewhere inside of you Blake. I want to help you like you used to help me, all those years ago. But no matter how hard I try, it's like you just won't take. You're pushing me and everyone away, I saw that even on the first night at my hotel room. And each day that passes by, where you grow colder and colder, it's becoming more and more apparent to me that maybe, it's too late."

Blake stood with her mouth open, her face reading troubled. The music in the bar seemed to fade away, and time seemed to stand still. Blake gazed at Ilia, the left of her face stained with blood and her empty stare away from Blake. Blake felt like something was caught in her throat as she tried to work up something to say to Ilia.

"I…" Blake said, before faltering.

"Listen, Blake," Ilia said, "I'll spell it out clear for you again so there's no confusion - the only thing I want is to be yours. Whether you love me back, care for me - I don't care. Forget about me. I do not matter. You…"

Ilia poked Blake with a hearty tap, square in the middle of her chest.

"...you are the one that matters," Ilia whispered. "To me. And it hurts me every day to see you get erased little by little every day by Adam. I want it to stop."

"Blake," Ilia sighed, "There's only one way to end all this. He's standing in our way. We can never be who we want to be as long as he's still here. He's gotta go."

"There's gotta be another way," Blake said. "Something that doesn't involve... _that_. Something less risky."

Ilia shook her head.

"I already told you there isn't another way, Blake," Ilia said. "There's no reasoning with him. No negotiations, no half measures."

"Well, what about us?" Blake stammered. "What'll happen to us, if we do this?"

"Nothing will happen to _us_ ," Ilia said. "It's what'll happen to me. I'll make sure none of the blowback'll hit you."

"No, Ilia," Blake said, rubbing her forehead, "I told you already I'm not gonna have this discussion-"

"We're having it, Blake," Ilia rumbled, grabbing ahold of Blake's shoulder and pulling her in close. "Now, I just spilled my guts to you like I never did with nobody, so the least you can do is listen to what I have to propose."

Blake froze, meeting Ilia's eyes, which was intense and feral.

"Adam doesn't wholly trust me, but he's trusted me enough to reveal some weaknesses to me before. I know for a fact that I can use those weaknesses to get in striking distance of him, and he'll never see it coming."

"How'll you do it?" Blake asked.

"You don't need to know," Ilia responded, shutting down Blake. "The less you know, the better, because you're gonna be at least a thousand miles away from it when it happens, and you're gonna be just as surprised as everyone else when it happens. But I'll make sure it happens. After that, Adam's gone, and I guarantee the WF is gonna be in disarray, what with the higher leadership all fighting to take over the vacant throne. You're gonna use the chaos to get out. How you do so is up to you - WitSec program, or even just lamming it to Vacuo or something. But you'll finally be able to have a fresh start."

Blake shook her head.

"Ilia…" Blake said. "I gotta know what's gonna happen to you."

"Don't worry about me," Ilia said, "I'll figure it out-"

"Ilia, don't lie," Blake cut in, "You and I both know you have that part figured out already. Don't lie to me."

Ilia paused, and then nodded.

"I'll be killed, likely," Ilia responded with a straight face. "If I'm not killed and I manage to give 'em the slip, then I gotta go on the lam for the rest of my life. Then, it'll only be a matter of time before they find me down the line and pop me."

"You can't come with me afterwards?" Blake asked. "I can help you get away clean-"

"Blake, you're not understanding," Ilia said, frustrated. "You and I could never be together after this. One way or another. If I go with you, it's too dangerous. You'll be in harm's way, and all of this'll be for nothing."

Ilia stared at Blake, an intense fire in her eyes.

"It'll be okay, Blake," Ilia muttered. "Now that's my proposal. But I'm not doing anything unless you give me the green light. And I need to know your answer now, because the way things are going, one more day'll be too late."

"What if I say no?" Blake asked. Ilia scoffed.

"Then we'll just carry on. You'll keep drifting further and further away from everyone and any form of salvation until it's too late, and I'll just keep whacking whoever Adam greenlights until, one day, he green-lights me."

Blake paused and stared at Ilia, before she shook her head.

"I…"

Blake stared at Ilia and saw Ilia's eyes, round like the moon, before Ilia grimaced, and then turned her head away from Blake's.

Ilia knew, without even a word from Blake. She could read the hesitation Blake had from a mile away.

"I hope, one day, you find someone you'll let into your life, Blake, cause I know that you'll never let me in to help you," Ilia said.

Ilia stuck her cigarette between her lips and then hopped off the barstool. Blake stood up after her.

"Ilia-"

Ilia put up her hands behind her as she marched away from Blake.

Blake stood, still as a statue, as Ilia glided away from her and through the bar door.

* * *

"So, she's really said nothing?" Yang barked into the receiver of her cell phone.

"Figuratively or literally?" Neptune's voice asked on the other end.

Yang rolled her eyes.

"Cut the jokes, Nep."

"Well, she's said nothing either way," Neptune answered.

Yang groaned and then tightened her grip on the steering wheel, frustrated.

It was well past sundown, and Yang was currently trawling down the quiet backroads on Patch Island towards her father's quiet little ranch in the middle of the island's woods. The island barely had a resident population, and as a result the island's roads lacked proper paving or streetlights to illuminate it, resulting in the headlights of Yang's car being the only light source to guide her back home.

"Look, Yang, it's getting close to 96 hours since we first detained her," Neptune hurriedly stated, "pretty soon we're gonna have to let her go, or charge her with something."

Yang pursed her lip.

"Alright," Yang acknowledged. "Well, we can't stick any charges on her, so we're gonna have to cut bait on this one. We got no other choice."

"You sure?" Neptune asked.

"Yeah," Yang said, "Let her go, but the minute she sets foot out of the police station, you get a two car tail on her that follows her back home. I want Crown Vics parked on the curb out her house and two more around the block; I want camera surveillance, phone wiretaps, I wanna know who she talks to, where she goes, who she fucks - the whole nine yards. We're going to be on her like white on rice until she gives us some information - one way or another."

"I'll get it up and running by next morning," Neptune said.

"Alright," Yang said, "That all you needed to call about?"

"Nah," Neptune said. "I got some more info on Torchwick."

"Yeah?" Yang asked, her eyes widening opening with piqued interest, "What you got for me?"

"Forensic results came back for Torchwick," Neptune said, "We lifted a fingerprint on Torchwick's neck - it's pretty fresh, but it doesn't match Torchwick's prints, or Neo's, or, well, anyone in our records."

"Fuck," Yang spat. "Well, it's better than nothing."

"Not only that," Neptune continued, "Autopsy report also came back in, but it isn't telling us anything new. Confirmed cause of death is asphyxiation. Fibers found embedded in his neck indicate that some sort of rope was used to do the deed."

"What about the CCTV footage?" Yang asked. "We get a good look at the perp from that?"

"Well, the CCTV company was able to retrieve the footage, and we got a clear view of the perp, but they're pretty concealed," Neptune explained. "Perp looks 5'5"-ish, and thin frame, but other than that, nothing. The perp was wearing a grey windbreaker and black cargo pants, had on a surgical mask and sunglasses, along with surgical gloves and paper slip-on shoe covers, which explains the lack of shoe or fingerprints in the physical store."

Yang shook her head, annoyance beginning to bubble up in her.

"It was gonna be hard to find the suspect with CCTV footage alone," Yang said, "the fact that we don't got a definite gender, age or discerning physical features on this person is gonna make it impossible at this point."

"Yeah," Neptune agreed, "I don't know what we're gonna do."

"Well, we can't just put an APB out on anyone wearing a windbreaker," Yang said, "But still, make sure this info gets communicated to other precincts so we can cast a wide net. Get in contact with any Vale City PD detectives or other VKPD detectives working robbery crews or the White Fang, and tell 'em to put their ears to the street: listen for any disturbances, work their informants, and so on. If talking to Junior's indicated anything, there's gonna be a lot of disinformation floating around - we're gonna have to sift through the bullshit if we're gonna find anything. Also, cross-reference with some of the old case files that Robbery and Homicide have in the archives and see if you got any information about any windbreaker perps. It's not likely, but we might get lucky and strike gold. 'Cause you're OCU, not Robbery-Homicide, you might get some resistance accessing those cases - if you do, tell them Yang sent you and tell them it's for the Torchwick case. They'll open the archives to you like it's a fuckin' oyster."

"You got it," Neptune responded.

"That all?" Yang asked.

"...no, one more thing," Neptune continued.

"What is it?" Yang asked. "Tell me it's good news."

"Depends on what you consider good news," Neptune muttered, "It's pertaining to Emerald and Mercury."

"Torchwick's lapdogs?" Yang said.

"Yeah," Neptune's voice crackled out. "Autopsy and forensics also came back on them. The car bomb pretty much wiped out any evidence, and there really wasn't much left of Emerald to look at, but we pulled teeth off what we thought was Mercury's body, and…"

"And what?" Yang interrogated impatiently.

"Well, looking at Mercury Black's dental records from 2010," Neptune said, "they don't match up to the set of teeth we pulled from the body."

Yang paused.

"No shit," Yang gasped.

"Now, the records are from 2010," Neptune explained, "That's a long time ago. I don't know why this yuckmouth-ass motherfucker hasn't seen a dentist more recently, but the fact the dental records are so old makes me question it's validity."

"So, we don't know whether Mercury is alive or dead, is what you're saying," Yang said. "You had an APB out on him after Torchwick kicked the bucket, by any chance?"

"Nope," Neptune answered. "We thought he was dead - we didn't think we needed to."

"Yeah, I didn't think so," Yang groaned. "Not your fault. But get an APB out on his ass too, ASAP. If he's still alive somehow and he's floating around, we need to get him in and find out what the fuck is going on here."

Yang pursed her lips again.

"We need to get a handle on all this shit, stat, Neptune," Yang stated, "Otherwise, whoever did all this shit is gonna vanish into thin air."

"I'll get it on it, Yang," Neptune assured, "don't you worry."

"Thanks, Nep," Yang said. "Alright, I gotta go. I'm meeting my family for dinner."

"Perfect timing," Neptune pipped, "My order is ready from A Simple Wok, I gotta go and pick it up, so I gotta go too."

Yang paused.

"You said 'A Simple Wok', Nep?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, why?" Neptune asked.

"You getting the poke bowl?" Yang asked, suspiciously.

"...yeah, why?" Neptune responded.

"I dunno, I heard that it's not the safest to eat..." Yang croaked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Neptune asked, surprised. "I've had it before, and I didn't have any problems."

"...You sure?" Yang asked.

"...Yeah, why?" Neptune responded again.

"...Uhhhh, oookay, then. Hey, I gotta go, bye," Yang quickly said.

"...uh, bye?" Neptune said, before the phone beeped, indicating the call had ended.

* * *

Yang pulled up slowly into the driveway of the ranch, and then killed the engine of her car. Yang stared out through the windshield at the lone porchlight illuminating the front of the ranch.

It was always an odd feeling coming back to this ranch. Yang remembered it from when she was much more little, even before Ruby was born. Vale was far away from here, but Yang felt no matter how far she travelled away, she always felt herself turn into someone else the minute she saw the wooden sidings of the ranch - someone she used to be, before she became a cop.

Yang looked down at the floor of the passenger's side's seat. The overhead cabin light of the car sheened off the plastic covering of a plate of sugar cookies she had picked up from the only grocery store on Patch. Yang knew it wasn't much, and she personally hated the stale cookies that Terry's Grocery has been churning out for the last 20 years, but she knew that it was the least she could bring to dinner.

Yang sighed, and then exited the car and drifted over to the passenger's side of the car to hoist the plate of cookies from the car floor. Yang then began to walk up towards the house, where she could see the windows glowing amber against the solitary blackness of the night surrounding the house.

Yang approached the front door, and rapped twice against the door. Yang heard footsteps thundering towards the door, before she heard the _click_ of the door being unlocked, and the door swinging open. Ruby stood in the middle of the doorframe, clad in a red drawstring hoodie.

"Yang!" Ruby said cheerily.

"Hey, Rubes," Yang replied, before shifting her plate of cookies to her left hand and giving Ruby a quick hug with her right.

"Come in, come in!" Ruby beckoned, "We just set the table, we got a setting just for you."

"Aw, thanks Ruby," Yang responded warmly, "I hope you guys haven't been waiting long."

Yang's brow furrowed as she gazed at Ruby's beaming smile and twinkling eyes.

"Say, uh, Ruby," Yang stammered, "how've, uh - how've you been, since...you know…"

"Oh, I'm fine," Ruby said without missing a beat, "Just...taking everything one step at a time, you know."

Yang saw the corner of Ruby's mouth ever-so-slightly twitch. Yang nodded, her brows still furrowed in concern. Before Yang could say anything, however, Ruby had lifted the cover off of the plate of cookies in Yang's hands and had swiped one up in her right hand.

"Mm!" Ruby exclaimed, chewing noisily as she pranced back towards the kitchen table. Yang cocked her head towards the table and instantly spotted Tai grunting as he stood up.

"Ruby," Tai moaned, "what did I tell ya about eating sweets before dinner?"

"Sorry, Dad!" Ruby cried out, "you know I can't help it."

Tai turned his head and instantly met Yang's eyes.

"Hi, sweetie!" Tai warmly called out, "Oh, I'm so glad you could make it."

Tai grabbed his cane that was seated next to his seat and began hobbling towards Yang.

"Hi, Dad," Yang greeted, "Oh, don't get up, don't get up. I'm coming over anyways. Hey, I'm sorry I'm late, I had to stay late at the office-"

Yang froze in her tracks as she saw a sudden, additional figure gliding from the kitchen towards the table. In the middle of Yang's view stood Raven, dressed in a crimson-red collared shirt and black pants suits. Raven had on a pair of oven mitts and was holding a casserole tray when she suddenly stopped as well and turned towards Yang, wearing the same shocked expression that Yang had.

Yang's face quickly turned to a mixture of surprise and panic and then turned to Tai.

"What's she doing here?" Yang interrogated.

"Oh," Tai said, holding up his pointer finger, "Raven's in Vale for a business trip in Vale, and she'd figure she use the trip as an excuse to stop on by again, mooch a free dinner out of us again."

Tai snickered, but stopped once he saw Yang's brow furrowed in concern as she nodded slowly.

"Business trip, huh?" Yang grumbled.

Raven's signature smirk came back upon her face as she set the casserole tray down on the table.

"That's right," Raven said as she began peeling off her gloves, "I'm here for the Construction and Industry Expo being held in Vale, at the Beacon Tower Convention Center. Although, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't using this as a little vacation to get away from Mistral."

"Where you staying?" Yang pressed.

"I got an apartment along the riverfront that I stay at whenever I'm in town," Raven replied as she sat down, "It's got a nice view. 23rd floor, on Diversey Street."

"Huh," Yang said, nodding, "maybe should pay you a visit. Check this place out, see if it's as nice as you say it is."

Raven stood silent, arching a single eyebrow at Yang's comment. In the corner of Yang's eye, she spotted Tai and Ruby both giving each other a concerned look.

"Yang," Tai said, a smile growing back on his face, "come on, take a seat. Ruby helped make dinner."

"Oh yeah?" Yang said, picking back up her cheery facade and sitting down, "What'd she make?"

"Mac n' Cheese!" Ruby pipped, "...from the box. But I added panko breadcrumbs and little bits of basil in it, so it's still kinda snazzy!"

Yang smiled, suppressing a laugh at hearing Ruby describe her own concoction.

"It's probably not as good as Raven's baked ziti, though," Ruby said.

"Nah, don't say that Ruby," Yang snided, before giving Raven a side-eye, "I'm sure your mac n' cheese is probably just as good. It'll probably be better, even."

Raven stood with a perplexed look, having spotted Yang's glare.

"I agree," Raven drawled.

"Hey, Yang," Tai said, "Raven brought some nice Prosecco wine. I already had a glass myself. You want some?"

"Yes, please," Yang quickly said. "Ruby, pour me a tall glass, would ya?"

Ruby nodded and stood up and walked to the kitchen, humming softly.

"Long day at the office?" Raven asked.

Yang snapped her head towards Raven at the sound of her voice. Yang instantly locked onto Raven's smirk plastered on her face, her stark-red eyes glinting with sarcasm and snide. Yang felt the anger bubbling up inside of her the more and more she stared at her.

"Yeah, well, you would know if you ever had a stable office job," Yang quickly spat, grabbing the glass out of Ruby's hand before she could set it down in front of Yang.

Yang took a gulp, satisfied at her comeback towards Raven, before she stared back at Raven, who's face had shifted to confusion. Yang herself felt a befuddled look begin to creep onto her face. Yang had expected to trade barbs with Raven, so why did Raven look like she was hurt by Yang's insult instead?

"Hey, guys," Tai said, chuckling nervously, "come on, let's dig in before the food gets cold."

" _Don' nee ah tew me twice,"_ Ruby mumbled, her mouth full. Yang watched with amusement as Ruby continued to dig in, golden cheese staining the corners of her mouth.

"Ruby!" Tai intervened. "Come on, manners!"

"Sorry, Dad," Ruby said, smiling, before she grabbed a napkin and wiped off the corners of her mouth. Yang openly giggled at the sight, which caught Ruby's attention and prompted her to give Yang a slight kick across the table in the shins. Yang only giggled more.

Still laughing, Yang glanced, in the corner of her eye, towards the far end of the table, where Raven sat. Again, Yang was surprised - Raven was smiling at her and Ruby's minor dinner table horseplay. It wasn't a smirk, either - just a simple smile. Raven's eyes weren't narrowed into sneering slits, but instead projected warmth - something Yang had rarely seen in her entire life.

Yang caught herself, and then cleared her throat, regaining her poise and then grabbing the bowl of Mac n' Cheese, scooping out a helping for herself.

"So, Yang," Tai began, "was traffic bad getting out of the city?"

"No, no, it wasn't super bad," Yang answered. "Traffic out of Vale usually clears up after rush hour."

"That's good," Tai nods, "Whenever Ruby and I go to the city on weekends, it's jam-packed, bumper-to-bumper, no matter what time of the day it is."

Yang nodded, before she surveyed her father. Yang remembered how frail her father looked after the stroke, and couldn't help but be amazed at how much stronger and radiant he looked now.

"How you been doin' recently, old-timer?" Yang asked.

"Good, good!" Tai responded heartily after taking a bite of ziti. "Therapy is going good, I'm getting my step back every day. Talked to my doc, he said I might be able to get off Warfarin soon."

Yang nodded and smiled.

"I wouldn't be doing as good if it weren't for this little twerp here," Tai said, wrapping his arm around Ruby, who instantly rolled her eyes, "She's been a saint, staying home and helping me."

"Dad, stop," Ruby groaned.

Tai chuckled and then removed his arm. Yang spotted Raven smiling again at the two.

"How's your service going so far, Ruby?" Raven asked.

"Good," Ruby replied, "I've been home for a while now, but I'm set to redeploy in a bit. It'll be my last tour, and then I'm discharged."

Raven nodded.

"That's good," Raven said. "What's this I hear about you going back to school?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ruby beamed. "Once I'm back home for good, I'm planning on attending Beacon Academy with my GI Bill! That way, I get to go to school and be kinda close to home, so I can still be with Dad."

"What're you planning on studying?" Raven quizzed.

"Uhh...Mechanical Engineering," Ruby replied, "but I'm also thinking of electrical engineering. I heard there's a big need for electrical engineers in industry right now."

Raven nodded.

"Good electricians and electrical engineers are in short supply right now," Raven said. "Even I got a shortage of electricians in my quarry, and it's hard to hire any right now since there just aren't any qualified-enough electricians in Mistral."

"Well, I'm not sure Ruby wants to get into the quarry business, Mom," Yang interjected. This earned Yang another arched eyebrow from Raven.

"I know," Raven coolly responded, "I was just giving an...anecdote, if you will."

Raven turned her head back to Ruby.

"Have you given any thought into where you want to work once you graduate?" Raven asked.

"I was thinking about defense R&D contracting," Ruby answered, "mainly designing weapons and stuff, I guess. 'Cause of my military background."

Raven nodded approvingly.

"That's a good choice," Raven said. "Lots of money in there, and I hear there's a lot of those types of jobs in that market."

"It's also been something I wanted to do for a long time," Ruby whispered meekly.

"That's good!" Raven replied cheerily. "If you like your job, you'll never work a day in your life, that's what I say. Do what makes you happy, and you'll go far in life."

Ruby nodded in agreeance before turning back to the heaping mush of ziti and mac n' cheese on her plate. Once Raven seemed to notice Ruby was finished with their conversation, Yang spotted Raven turn away from Ruby.

"Don't make the same mistake I did…" Raven whispered, seemingly to herself and barely in earshot of Yang. Tai and Ruby, both occupied with the food on their plates, appeared not to have heard this.

"So, Raven," Tai said in between sips of wine, "how's Mistral these days? Your quarry doing okay?"

"Doing well, thanks," Raven said, "We've actually been fairly busy recently."

"Oh," Tai said, arching his brow, "that's good."

Yang saw Tai staring at Raven, giving her a look that she couldn't quite put a finger on what he was trying to convey to Raven. Still, Raven must've caught on to Tai's wary looks.

"Something on your mind, Tai?" Raven asked.

"No, just, uh…" Tai stammered, "...just wondering if you've been busy with outside work, or…"

Raven's smirk instantly returned.

"Is this Taiyang asking a question, or am I being interrogated by Officer Taiyang Xiao Long?" Raven coyly remarked. Taiyang laughed heartily in response.

"I'm retired, Raven," Tai returned, this time without nervousness, "you're not getting in any trouble with me. Just wanna make sure you're getting into any more trouble nowadays."

Raven laughs.

"I'm doing fine, Tai," Raven said, "No trouble with me."

"You know, if you ever need money or anything, Raven, don't be afraid to come to us," Tai said.

"Aw, I wouldn't ever trouble you guys like that. But, I appreciate the gesture, really," Raven answered.

Yang watched as Raven gave Tai a warm smile, which he quickly reciprocated. A feeling of disgust began to bubble up in Yang. Raven had told a half-truth to her father - she wasn't in any trouble right now, sure, but her active career as a professional thief definitely didn't keep her far from it. Yang felt an urge to blurt out that Raven was still playing cops and robbers, but Yang figured that all it would do is put more grey hairs on her father's head, so she decided against it.

"Believe me," Raven said, after chewing, "I wouldn't even have time to get into any sort of trouble. The quarry gives me enough work as is. Even this convention alone is enough to give me enough headache to last a lifetime."

"How so?" Ruby asked. "I thought you said this was going to be like a vacation for you."

"Well, I still got business to attend to," Raven said. "One of the reasons why I went to this convention is because vendors who sell industrial cutting torches goods are going to be there. My machine shop people just switched over to acetylene torches, and they've been begging me to get a supply line for acetylene fuel so we can get it up and running, but I want to find a vendor that can sell it to me cheap. I already talked to two vendors at the convention, and one of them can sell me double the fuel per shipment at three-quarters of the price. Still, the other, more expensive vendor is telling me that he's the safer option, but I have to imagine he's bullshitting-"

"He's the better option," Yang cut in. Raven paused and arched her eyebrows in response.

"Excuse me?" Raven responded.

"The more expensive vendor is better. You should cut a deal with him," Yang said, before taking a swig of wine. Raven scoffed, a look of disbelief in her eyes.

"I dunno, Yang," Raven answered, condescendingly, "paying more for less seems like the kind of business decision that only 6-year-olds would make-"

"No, no, you don't understand," Yang said, clearing her throat, "the reason why that guy is able to sell you double the acetylene per shipment is likely because he doesn't dissolve the acetylene gas in the canisters in acetone. If you don't dissolve the acetylene, and if the fuel canisters get too hot or get banged around too much, it'll explode."

"Really?" Raven asked incredulously.

"Mhm," Yang muttered after taking another sip of wine, "That guy's likely gouging his prices because no one's going to buy what's effectively a hand grenade in a fuel canister form. He's got the better deal, sure, but in the end, he's ripping off _you_."

Raven paused, shocked.

"Wow," Raven said, leaning back in her chair, "How the hell do you know all that?"

Yang shrugged as she stared off in the distance.

"I, uh, worked a guy about a year back," Yang said, "Shiro Wan. Small time guy who used acetylene torches to break into vaults. He used the cheaper fuel without the acetone, hoping to shave a few bucks off equipment costs, and once he moved to Vacuo's warmer climate, the temperature got hot enough to set off the fuel. Blew himself up in his van, with his whole crew inside."

Raven scoffed.

"Well, that's certainly something to avoid," Raven sarcastically replied. "Thanks, Yang. You made my decision a whole lot easier. Saved my hide too."

"It's nothin'," Yang quickly grumbled before turning back to her food. Yang stabbed a piece of macaroni with her fork and was about to plop it in her mouth, but she paused mid-bite, a sudden feeling of dread inside her growing.

"Hey," Yang slowly said, "This acetylene torch...what exactly are you going to be using it for?"

Raven paused, and then put her right hand up in the air.

"The torch is only going to be used in the quarry, your honor," Raven said, chuckling. "Right hand to God."

Yang watched as Tai and Ruby also chuckled at Raven's little wisecracks, and felt herself begin to smile as well.

* * *

Yang waited until after 10 to enter the kitchen. By this time, she was sure that her father had gone to sleep, and Ruby was in her room either playing video games or screwing around on her phone. With this knowledge, Yang knew that with the light still on and the sound of the faucet running in the kitchen, the only person Yang would be running into would be her mother.

Yang turned the corner of the entranceway leading into the tiny kitchen to be greeted with the sight of Raven at the sink, clad in yellow dishwashing gloves and currently scrubbing away at a pot over the sink.

"Hey," Yang called out.

"Hey," Raven replied, without turning her head.

"The, uh, ziti was good," Yang said awkwardly.

"Thanks," Raven replied. "It was actually Summer's recipe."

Yang nodded.

"Dad seemed happier tonight. More energetic," Yang commented.

"Mm," Raven grunted. "Glad to see he's doing better."

Yang bit her lip and furrowed her brow.

"You know, for someone who spent pretty much his whole career trying to lock you up, and you pretty much trying to kill him in return, you two seem to be pretty friendly," Yang said. "At least, a lot more friendlier than before."

Raven shrugged.

"I never took it personal," Raven replied. "Neither did your father. We both understood it was the nature of the game."

"Nature of the game," Yang sarcastically repeated. "You know, a lot of people I see aren't like that. It can be 20 years down the line and people still hold onto grudges like they only started beefing yesterday."

"Yeah, well, I guess we ain't them," Raven said as she set down the pot and picked up a stainless steel pan to scrub. "Your father and I, we know how to put differences aside. Especially given the circumstances."

"You mean my Dad's stroke?" Yang asked.

"Yeah," Raven said. "Some things are just bigger than whatever petty, lingering feelings we might've had decades ago. A stroke is one of them. So, I did what was right, and I stopped in, said hello, saw if there was anything I could help with."

Yang scoffed.

"So, a stroke is where you draw the line in dropping back into his life," Yang said, "Not, you know, having a whole fuckin' kid with him. In that case, it's fine to just fuck off and let him raise that kid alone."

Raven, her back still turned toward Yang, sighed and then set the pan she was scrubbing back into the sink.

"Yang, you know that I was still a part of your life-"

"We saw you maybe once or twice every two years for holidays," Yang huffed, "even then, we'd probably only see you for like half an hour, tops. Other than that, you were a ghost."

"You really wanted me around, even if you knew I was a crook?" Raven said.

"I really wish I didn't know you were a crook," Yang spat, "Otherwise I wouldn't have to be the one to chase you around the block."

Raven sighed.

"Look, if you knew what happened between my father and I all those years ago, it was probably even a miracle that you got to see me at all-"

"Don't blame my fuckin' dad because of all this," Yang spat. "You just said that you and him knew how to put your differences aside. Either that's bullshit, or you just weren't brave enough to face him and the daughter that you two had."

"What do you want from me, Yang?" Raven hissed in response. "An apology? I'd give you one if it would make you feel better, but I know you know it's not gonna do anyone any good nowadays."

"I don't want your fuckin' apology," Yang bit back, "I want you to start telling the truth 'bout why you're here."

Raven sighed and then reached towards a little black yarn that hung around her neck. Raven tugged upwards, pulling a plastic, laminated lanyard out that was tucked within her button-down shirt.

"Look," Raven said in a mocking voice, "I'm really here for a convention. This is my entrance badge. If you want, you can take a ride down to the convention center and check the visitor registry; you'll find my name on there-"

"I don't care about why you're in Vale," Yang growled. "I mean, why are you _here_ , in my father's ranch?"

Raven paused. Yang saw some of the edge in Raven's angered expression begin to give way to a more troubled, pensive look.

"I dunno," Raven muttered, "It's been about 20 years since things really blew up between your father and I. After that happened, I made a promise to...someone...that I would try to patch things up between your father and I."

"That someone was Summer?" Yang asked. Raven nodded in response.

"I never made good on that promise," Raven said, "Not even when Summer was alive. And, I know I said your father and I understood each other, but after everything, it was still...complicated, with us."

Raven sighed, shook her head, and then cast her gaze down to the floor, avoiding Yang's eyes.

"I'm not getting any younger. Neither is Tai. And, when I heard he had a stroke…" Raven said softly, "I figured, I better make amends before it's too late."

Yang pursed her lips, and shook her head.

"It's already too late," Yang hissed, "It's been 20 years too late, ever since you left us."

Yang glared at Raven for a second, before she gazed upon Raven once more. Once again, Raven had defied Yang's expectations on how she would react - instead of losing her signature temper, Raven instead kept her quiet, remorseful eyes glued to the ground, remaining completely still and silent.

Yang felt guilt sweep across her as she realized what she had done. Her mother, after 20 years of being essentially absent, had finally opened up to her daughter, and Yang instantly greeted it with hostility. Granted, Yang only reacted to her mother's sorrow the way she did because she had been so used to fighting Raven in the past that she wasn't used to her opening up about her past, that she responded the only way she knew how to with her mother. Still, this was Raven like Yang had never seen her before: showing remorse. If Raven was being genuine, then Yang figured she should at least give her a chance.

"Look, Mom," Yang said, "I'm just looking out for Dad and Ruby. I just wanna make sure they're not...I don't know, in any sort of trouble, I guess."

"They'll get no trouble from me," Raven said. "I'll promise you that. I swear."

Yang pursed her lips, before Raven sighed and looked up, meeting Yang's eyes.

"Look, you don't gotta like me," Raven said, "you earned that right, from everything I've done to you and Tai. But the truth is, we're gonna be seeing each other in a...professional setting, one way or another. I didn't want to say it, but that's also part of the reason why I'm here."

"Oh?" Yang remarked. Yang's mind instantly shifted back to the thought of the case - the robbery, Torchwick's murder and the messy trail that she and Blake were currently following.

"Yeah," Raven said, nodding. "Heard Torchwick got popped."

Yang nodded.

"Knew him when he was just a kid, starting out. I knew, even back then, that kid was gonna go far in the world - and he was gonna make sure the whole world knew it, given how obnoxious he was," Raven said.

"That's sweet," Yang sarcastically moaned, "but if you wanna wax poetic about the guy, go to his wake and pay respects."

"If anyone should be paying respects, it should be you," Raven scoffed. "He was your informant, after all."

Yang froze.

"How'd the fuck you know he was my informant?" Yang asked.

"Oh, come on," Raven said, "The minute you mentioned bearer bonds when you first came to me, I knew that you guys had to have talked to him already. He's the only one who could've cashed a bearer bond. Plus, it was all but confirmed when the VKPD found Roman with his diamonds crammed down his throat. I'm not stupid, I know that it was the White Fang that had their hands all over him, and they must've known he was a police informant."

Yang shook her head.

"Goddamnit," Yang groaned, "how the fuck did they know? And how are we gonna tie the Fang to this murder?"

"You can't pin 'em for this shit," Raven said, "They're too smart to leave behind any trails. But that's not important, what _is_ important is what I'm about to tell you."

"You found something?" Yang asked.

Raven slipped off her yellow dishwashing gloves and pulled out her smartphone from her pants pocket and then unlocked it.

"Come 'ere," Raven said, beckoning Yang close so she could see the screen.

Raven tilted her phone so Yang could see the contents of its screen - a grainy surveillance photo of a burly man in a flannel shirt, standing on a sidewalk outside of what looks like a bar. The man had a buzzcut and long mutton chops, but his eyes were obscured with pitch-black sunglasses. His hand was outstretched towards his mouth, where he was reaching to pinch his cigarette.

"You know who this is?" Raven asked, looking at her daughter.

"No," Yang said, absorbing the mysterious man's image. Raven clicked off her phone and then slid it back into her pocket before leaning against the sink countertop.

"His name is Tukson," Raven said. "He's a White Fang guy. Does their numbers game, but he's a pretty good information hustler, too. Potential heist scores, fixes on games - if it was street-level info, he could get it for you. Real stand-up guy, easy to work with."

Yang's interest piqued at the mention of the White Fang.

"What's he got to do with all this?" Yang asked. "He the one who killed Torchwick?"

"No," Raven said, "it's something else. I got in touch with some of my people in Mountain Glenn and Vale. Turns out, a week before the robbery, Tukson was all over the area, talking to everyone about a hot tip for a score."

"And?" Yang asked. "Was it for the van that got hit?"

"No one knows for sure, because no one took it, but it sure sounds like it," Raven said. "Tukson kept saying the job was a million plus score with low risk and low police exposure. Plus, it would be local, on Forever Falls turf. Here's the kicker, too - Tukson said he'd take no finders fee or cut, so he would be getting virtually nothing out of this job."

"Sounds a little too good to be true, right?" Raven said. "Lots of the crews in the area thought so too, so no one chomped at the bit for his info. Even if Tukson's tip was even legit, he was talking to so many people that there was a high chance that whoever Tukson was setting up to get robbed likely already knew what Tukson was up to."

"Obviously, the latter part rang true, because Tukson's missing. Been gone for over a week now," Raven said.

"Fuck," Yang muttered, "You know who did him?"

"No clue," Raven said. "They don't even have a body. Given the coincidental timing and info, I had to guess it was the White Fang retaliating for the caravan that got hit. But, the interesting part is the fact that the White Fang made Tukson _disappear_. They didn't dump his body in public, like they did with Torchwick."

"Oh, and speaking of Torchwick," Raven said, "Guess who one of the people Tukson tried to sell the information to."

"Tukson approached Torchwick for the score?" Yang asked.

"Bingo," Raven said.

"And let me guess - Torchwick bought this information from Tukson, and that's why the White Fang killed him too? As part of retaliation?" Yang asked.

"Nah, I don't think so," Raven said. "Torchwick doesn't take down big scores anymore. I doubt Torchwick would've accepted the information. If legitimate, real-deal robbery crews turned down the tip because it was too much trouble, Torchwick definitely wouldn't have accepted it."

"Still," Raven said, standing up and shifting over to lean against the refrigerator, "It begs the question, though - why exactly did the White Fang want Torchwick gone in the first place?"

"I thought it's cause they found out Torchwick was talking to the police," Yang said. "I mean, I thought that's what the whole 'diamonds-down-the-throat' thing was for."

"That's possible," Raven said, nodding, "but you ask me...I think they did all that shit and made a lot of noise when killing Torchwick because, really - they're trying to mask the _real_ reason for killing Torchwick."

"What do you mean?" Yang said, narrowing her eyes.

"I mean, let's take a step back and look at everything," Raven said. "First, Tukson's disappearance. The guy was undeniably the person who leaked information about the White Fang van robbery in Forever Falls, and we know for fact that the White Fang was the one who killed him - there's no way in hell anyone who wasn't connected to the White Fang would've touched someone who was. Now, I know the White Fang, and I know they normally would've done him like they did Torchwick - leaving him somewhere in a public place, just to leave a message to the rest of their members that 'this is what we do to betrayers.' But why didn't they?"

"And on the topic of Torchwick," Raven said, "it's highly irregular that they killed him in the first place, given how big of a name he was. I mean, the White Fang would absolutely have the balls to kill him, but I think even they would try to keep his murder low-key. They wouldn't dump his body in the middle of his store like that."

"Torchwick's murder could've been passed off as an isolated incident...but right after Tukson tries to give him the tip to rob the White Fang? And after the Fang makes him disappear?" Raven said. "There's no way that the both of them are getting offed at around the same time isn't coincidental."

"What are you trying to say?" Yang asked.

"I'm saying, there's more to these murders than what appears on the surface, and whatever it is that's connecting them, the White Fang are trying real hard not to have it revealed," Raven said. "You ask me, they killed Torchwick because he found something out. Something that the White Fang absolutely don't want the police to find, even if it means killing the guy. So, to not attract attention to whatever it was that Torchwick knew, they made it look like they just killed him for ratting. And Tukson? He must've known it too, and, instead of making a public example of him, they made him vanish into thin air to prevent too much police attention and having them stick their noses in all the wrong places."

"I dunno," Yang moaned, "this seems like some real tinfoil hat shit right here."

"Believe what you want," Raven snided, "but the truth is, the White Fang are definitely making moves to hinder your investigation, and they will continue to do so until they got you spinning in a circle."

"Well," Yang said, "what the hell could it be that they're hiding?"

"I got no idea," Raven flatly replied. "All I know is that they're taking pretty drastic measures to hide whatever they got. And, from my experience, the more effort people put into hiding things, the more likely it is that whatever they're hiding is going to be very fucking good."

Yang stared at her mother, and then leaned against the nearby countertop, shaking head.

"Fuck me," Yang muttered softly under her breath.

"If I were you, the next thing I would do is get those White Fang motherfuckers under a microscope," Raven said. "Wiretaps, surveillance, everything. They're good, but they're gonna slip eventually."

"Yeah, don't worry about that," Yang said. "We got people to take care of that."

Yang pursed her lips.

* * *

_JA: How confident were you that Raven's hypothesis was correct?_

_YXL: Not super confident. [scoffs]. But, it was a start. My mother is a lot of things, but stupid ain't one of them. If she says something's off, something likely is off. That being said, with it being known that the White Fang were pulling moves of their own against our informants, I knew it was time for my mom to tap out._

* * *

"Hey, Mom," Yang stammered, "I think…"

"Think what?" Raven asked impatiently. Yang sighed.

"Look, Mom, I'm grateful for this info," Yang said, "Really, I am. But...I don't think you should be giving me any more info."

Raven's face instantly dropped, her mouth curving into a frown and her eyes hardening.

"What the hell do you mean," Raven spat, "You asked me for help, and now you're pushing me away again?"

"Mom," Yang groaned, "Whether there's more to it or not, Roman's death shows that the White Fang knows who our informants are. It isn't safe for you anymore-"

"Oh, fuck what's safe or isn't safe," Raven quickly said, "If I wanted safety, I woulda hung up the spurs and gotten a desk job right now. Fuck that, Yang."

Yang shook her head.

"Mom, come on," Yang said. "I think it would be best if you just laid low or something, for a while. Go back to Mistral, where it'll be harder for the White Fang to touch you."

"I got business here, Yang," Raven defiantly replied. "Besides, if I turned tail and ran, how do you think that'll make me look? If I back down, then everyone's gonna know it's open season on my ass."

Yang sighed, frustrated, and then grabbed Raven on both of her shoulders, making sure that Raven was looking her dead in her eyes.

"Mom," Yang said in a low, gravelly tone, "you and I both know that one of your biggest strengths is playing things smart. Right now, you being in Vale...right after you just dug up some information about the White Fang...it's not smart."

Raven scoffed.

"I'll decide what I do and don't do, Yang," Raven said. "I'm the master of my own self. If I want to help you, I'm gonna help you. And there isn't anything you can do about it."

"Ma," Yang softly said. "Listen, I'm begging you - and, you know I've never begged you to do anything in my life before - I'm begging you to go back to Mistral or something, and lay low. I'm worried about you."

Raven shook her head, her eyes hardening into a sharp glare.

"You know Yang, you can throw shit at me all day about how you fuckin' hate me, but don't lie to me that you're worried about me," Raven sneered. "I'm not some fuckin' idiot."

Yang froze, her muscles and body locking up at the petrifying stare Raven was currently sending Yang's way. Yang only remembered that menacing glare from when she was little, and Raven used to torment Yang with her fearsome power.

Raven blinked away, and then sighed.

"I told you everything I know. I'll be in touch if I get more information."

Raven strided past Yang. Yang, still frozen and eyes open with fear, said nothing as Raven exited the kitchen.


	10. Love Means Taking Action

"Mmm!" Sun moaned before taking another bite out of his sandwich. "I'm telling you, that food truck has the best banh mi in the whole city. Like, hands down."

Blake tried to stifle a laugh as she saw Sun sloppily eat his sandwich, dropping little bits of bread on the ground as the two walked on the sidewalk. Sun obviously took too large of a bite out of his sandwich, as his cheeks were currently puffed up with food, making him look like a chipmunk.

"You should slow down," Blake said. "It's not like the sandwich is gonna go anywhere."

Sun took a good 5 seconds to chew the rest of the food in his mouth before noisily gulping it down and then smiling towards Blake.

"Life moves fast, sister," Sun said. "Gotta eat fast, too."

Blake arched an eyebrow, confused by Sun's psuedo-philosophical answer, before she softly laughed to herself and brushed his response off.

"So," Sun said, between sips of soda, "how do you like Vale so far?"

"I don't know," Blake replied. "I haven't really had much time to explore the city."

"Really? Even though you've been here for, like, 3 months or so by now?" Sun asked incredulously. "You should take some time for yourself and just see the city. And I mean, no offense, but seeing how stressed you've been lately, it looks like you could need it."

Blake nodded. There was no arguing with Sun on this one - she knew how gaunt she looked right now, and how large the dark circles surrounding her eyes had grown.

"Trust me," Sun said, "As rough as this city can be sometimes, it's leaps and bounds better than Vacuo. Ever since I've moved here from that desert shithole, I've never looked back. I'm serious, Vacuo's nightlife is virtually nonexistent compared to here. If you want, I could show you some tight nightclubs around the city after work one of these days."

Blake almost wanted to agree with Sun, but she remembered the last time she decided to take a night off before - the night Yang and Weiss had imploded. That, coupled with the creeping stress of having to solve this case before she ends up on Adam's bad side, like Tukson, made her feel less than inclined to take Sun up on his offer.

"Thanks, Sun," Blake meekly replied, "but I'm afraid I'm a bit busy."

"Oh," Sun said dejectedly. "Well, if you ever change your mind, don't be afraid to bang my line."

The two had diverted their path off the concrete and onto the asphalt of the department building's parking lot. From here, the two would be able to cut across and reach the office much quicker.

"Hey, Sun," Blake softly called out.

"Hm?" Sun said, his tail shooting up.

"When...was the first time you met Yang?" Blake asked.

"Jeez…" Sun said, rubbing his chin, "I think it was, maybe...3 years ago? That's when I got promoted to Organized Crime, and we worked our first case together: her, me and Neptune."

"It was a burglary ring with ties to the Grimm street gang, who would try to break into vending machines and steal the money out of it. Pretty open and shut, thanks to Yang," Sun said. "That's when I also learned - don't fuck with this lady, cause she's bullheaded as fuck, and she will mow you down if you get in her way - friend and foe alike."

Blake scoffed.

"That sounds like Yang," Blake said.

"Damn straight," Sun said. "Don't get me wrong, she's my friend - but honestly, she's the type of person where if she was convinced the sky wasn't blue, there's no way you could convince her otherwise."

Blake pursed her lip.

"You think...her stubbornness, that's why she isn't backing down from the Faunus shooting case?" Blake hesitatingly asked.

"Hm?" Sun asked, confused.

"You know, the one in front of that bar, in downtown," Blake clarified. "The one where Yang saw it all go down first hand."

"Oh," Sun said, nodding, "Yeah."

Sun shrugged.

"I'm no mind reader, and I'm not Internal Affairs, so I can't tell you why Yang's still staying on the detail for that," Sun said, "but from what I know about Yang, it's actually not surprising she's still sticking to that investigation. And it's not because she's so bullheaded."

"What is it, then?" Blake asked.

"I dunno," Sun said, shrugging again. "I guess...how do I put this...if I had to describe Yang with a single word, 90% of the time, I'd say it's…strength. Yeah."

"Strength?"

"Mmhmm," Sun said. "I'm not talking, like, physical strength, obviously, although she does have that too. But from what I've seen, if Yang sees a challenge in front of her, she isn't going to back down. Especially if it's someone on the top of the mountain, rolling shit down towards her."

"That's why I think she's sticking with that case," Sun said. "I think she knows the bullshit she's gonna face, and she isn't just gonna sit there and let it happen. That, and because she knows she's pretty much the Robbery-Homicide's all-star detective, so the higher ups are gonna have to listen to her."

Blake nodded, and then furrowed her brow.

"You said that you'd describe her as strong 90% of the time," Blake said. "What about the other 10%?"

"Probably 'scary,'" Sun replied. Blake and Sun both chuckled.

The two had made it halfway up the steps of the department building's office when Blake's ears perked up, the sound of the glass door in front of them swinging open. Marching through the doors was Yang, her eyes cold and hard, and her mouth pressed in a hard line. A manila folder rested under her left arm.

"Hi, Yang," Sun greeted her.

"Hey, Sun," Yang quickly said before turning to Blake. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, what about?" Blake asked.

"Can't say here," Yang said. "Is there somewhere private we can talk?"

"Is there any trouble?" Sun quickly interjected. Yang instantly snapped her head to Sun.

"Sun, I know you're a good guy," Yang said, in a clearly false-cheery voice, "but now isn't the time, alright? I just gotta talk to Blake."

Sun's eyes darted between Yang and Blake as worry began to seep into his expression.

"Yeah," Sun softly said. "I'll see you two later."

Sun then silently marched up the rest of the stairs, shooting one last concerned glance towards Blake before he walked into the department building. Blake, confused, turned to Yang.

"What the hell was that about-"

"Come with me," Yang commanded. "My car is nearby. We'll talk in there."

Blake's face quickly registered to concern. Never before had she seen Yang direct her fury towards her, and now that Blake was on the receiving end, she felt her stomach begin to churn.

"Okay," Blake squeaked. Without another word, Yang and Blake began walking towards Yang's car parked in a space nearby.

Blake entered the passenger seat of Yang's car and quickly sat down. Turning to her left, she saw Yang practically jump into the driver's seat and then slam the car door behind her, causing Blake's ears to pop.

"Jesus," Blake softly groaned, rubbing her ear.

Without even acknowledging Blake, Yang untucked the manila folder under her arm and then laid it out on the dash and opened it. Pulling out several documents, Yang unveiled a formal looking document. On it were lists of phone numbers and addresses; pictures of driver's licenses, ID cards and more. The pictures were fuzzy, and Blake picked up the document to get a better look of the faces and names on the ID cards. Once Blake got a better look at the document, the blood drained from her face, and her eyes went wide with fright.

The addresses, licenses and ID cards belonged to her mother and father.

"Look at the issuing date on the driver's licenses," Yang commanded. "What year does it say on there?"

Blake looked at Yang's face incredulously. A slight ringing had begun in her ears, and she began to feel a wooziness ten times worse than from her sleep-deprived hallucinations.

"Huh?" Blake softly croaked.

"I said," Yang said, her tone beginnng to harden, "Look here."

Yang poked her finger at the issuing date of Blake's father's license. The year read 2017.

"That's two years ago," Yang spat. "Your mother's, too. Both of them issued from the Argus DMV."

Blake felt her hands begin to tremble.

"Not only that," Yang said, "I find out that there's phone records, voter registration records, mailing addresses and more all tied to your parents accounts. All of these were active in the last five years."

"I…" Blake faltered.

"Didn't you say your parents died in a fire when you were young? Like 11, or so?" Yang pressed. "For people who are supposed to be dead over a decade, your parents sure seem pretty alive."

Blake said nothing, her mouth open with shock as she stared down at the scanned, grainy photos of her parents' driver's licenses. They had a little more grey in their hair than the last time Blake had seen them, but Blake knew from a single glance that it was indeed her parents.

"You got anything to say?" Yang growled, her glaring eyes digging into Blake.

"Yang, I…" Blake said, before pausing. "...Yang, why the fuck are you pulling info on my parents in the first place?"

Yang scoffed, giving Blake a look of disbelief.

"You wanna know why I was pulling info on your parents?" Yang said. "I'll fuckin' tell you why."

Yang slowly reached into her jacket pocket, causing Blake to instinctively flinch, expecting Yang to pull a gun. When Blake spotted that it was simply a ziploc bag that Yang had pulled out, Blake breathed a sigh of relief. Blake didn't have much time to relax, however, as she quickly identified the contents of the ziploc - her burner phone, smashed up.

"What is that?" Blake asked.

"Oh, don't play fuckin' stupid with me," Yang angrily answered. "You know what the fuck this is. I saw you throw this out in the dumpster in the alley next to Torchwick's shop about a week ago."

At this point, Blake's head was practically spinning. Internally, she felt like this was the end - her meticulously crafted world was about to crumble down entirely.

"I wasn't looking exclusively for information about your parents," Yang said, "I wanted info on you. I only found out about your parents after I ran a background check on you. You think I was just gonna let the fact that I caught you red handed with a burner phone slide? Fuck that."

"Who else knows about this?" Blake whispered.

"Only I do," Yang said. "Now, I haven't told anyone shit about this. I was going to, but I remembered all the kind shit that you've done for me before. So that's why I'm gonna do something for you that I'd never do for anyone else, and that's giving you a chance to explain why you lied to me about your parents before I go to Internal Affairs and have them find out for me."

"Yang, please don't do this," Blake softly pleaded.

"You lied to me, Blake," Yang coldly replied. "You don't get to tell me what I can or can't do."

Blake met Yang's eyes. Yang's gaze was wild, her pupils erratically shifting from side to side. Blake could see Yang's body tremble slightly - it was clear that this discovery was having just as troubling an effect on Yang as it was Blake.

"Fuck this," Yang exclaimed, throwing up her right hand in frustration. Yang quickly gathered the documents back in the manila folder and tucked under her arm before kicking open the driver's side.

"Yang, wait-"

"Fuck you!" Yang shouted, without turning around. Yang began to march away from the car. Blake understood - Yang was probably serious about her threat about having Internal Affairs investigate. Blake knew that if they got involved, and Adam found out she was about to bring heat onto herself and the Fang, she was done.

Blake gulped, and then opened the passenger's side door, hopping out of the car.

"Yang, I lied about them to protect them," Blake shouted.

Yang stopped in her tracks. Slowly, she turned around, a look of confusion on her face.

"What?" Yang asked, perplexed.

Blake, her face turning to a glum resignation, simply shrugged. Yang furrowed her brows and marched back to the car, hopping back into the driver's seat. Blake did the same, shutting the car door.

"What do you mean, you're trying to protect them?" Yang asked. "Protect them from what?"

"You remember how I told you that my parents were labor union leaders?" Blake said. Yang nodded.

"Well, labor unions in Mountain Glenn went hand in hand with organized crime back then," Blake sighed. "Especially the White Fang."

"Your parents were part of the White Fang?" Yang gasped.

"No, not quite," Blake said. "At one time, they did business together, them and their union. But my parents never liked the White Fang. They saw them for what they really were."

Blake sighed.

"Still, they couldn't do anything," Blake said. "If they wanted to make any progress, they had to work with the Fang, otherwise the entirety of Mountain Glenn's Faunus population would practically refuse to join their union."

"Day after day, my parents took their shit. Until one day, my mother said 'enough is enough,' and went to the police. Of course, it was nothing large enough to destroy the White Fang, but it was enough to paint targets on both their backs. So, they left and ran to Argus, far away from the White Fang."

"Couldn't they go into Witness Protection?" Yang said.

"Sure, they could've," Blake said, "but at the time, no department was willing to fork over the cash to set them up with a new home and 24-hour security details. So, they took the old-fashioned route and lammed it."

Yang shook her head.

"Jesus," Yang moaned, "so, you're telling me, all this-"

"Yes," Blake nodded softly, without looking towards Yang. "All of this - I did it to keep them safe. So no one would know."

"W-well, there's gotta be something we can do about it now," Yang said, frustrated. "There's gotta be something we can do to take down the White Fang, so they'll be safe for sure-"

"Yang, it's not worth it," Blake said softly. "My parents have been living comfortably in Argus for the last 10 years. Cautious, but comfortable. The White Fang have finally left them alone. If they were to suddenly come back and start trouble with the Fang again, that'll put them in more danger than they were in to begin with."

Yang scoffed. Her face had softened from hostile confusion to shock.

"Blake," Yang said, "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"All my life, the White Fang's been there," Blake softly muttered, her eyes staring down at the car mat underneath her feet, "looming over my family's head like the black plague. It's like they're some invisible force, corrupting everything in sight and tearing people apart."

Blake shook her head.

"Even now, they're still doing the same thing," Blake softly said. "And there's nothing I can do about it."

Blake continued staring down at the floor. When she was younger, she remembered the frightened looks on her parent's face whenever they talked about the White Fang - all the late-night arguments between them about what to do, whether they should come clean, whether they were going to die. And she remembered the disappointed look on her parent's face when they found out their own daughter had joined their tormentors.

Blake could feel her blood begin to boil. Ilia, her mother, her father - all of them torn from her arms, all because of the Fang. And now, she felt like she was being punished for it, from her own partner.

"You know, Yang," Blake snarled, "for all your talk about how you think you're alone in this world, you've never been as alone as I am. I don't even have family I can turn to."

"Blake-"

"Next time you're gonna come after me about my family, do a little more research," Blake hissed, before swinging open her car door and then slamming it behind her.

"Fuck," Yang muttered under her breath, before hopping out of her car. "Blake, wait!"

Yang saw Blake's cat ears perk up at the top of her head. Nevertheless, Blake walked on, her back to Yang, as she marched into the office.

* * *

_BB: I wasn't lying about my family. It was all true. My family had become estranged from me since they left for Argus, and I stayed behind in Mountain Glenn with the Fang. Of course, I didn't tell Yang that my parents probably never wanted to see me again, after they found out I had joined the White Fang myself._

_NV: You also didn't tell her the truth about your burner phone._

_BB: [Sigh] Either she assumed that I was using that burner phone to talk to my parents, or after I blew up, she decided to just drop it. Who knows? I'm not a mind reader._

_LR: From what you've been telling us, it seems like you've never really opted to anger when approaching Xiao Long. Why the sudden outburst?_

_BB: [scoffs] What can I say? I was fed up. Between Ilia, Adam and everything else, I was just about done with the White Fang. Whatever romanticized ideas I had in my head about living in peace, it was pretty much gone when I realized - right then, when I was talking with Yang - that all the White Fang had brought me was nothing but more and more suffering._

_NV: So why didn't you just call it quits with the White Fang? Why carry on with the lies and corruption?_

_BB: Well, as much pain that being a part of the Fang brought me, they were the only thing that was keeping me alive. If I wasn't a part of the Fang, I'd just be another one of their victims. I'd be just like Torchwick. And if it wasn't the Fang, then it'd be the police, just like the kid that Cardin shot. So, if you want an answer for why I stuck around in the Fang - it was cowardice. Because I was so scared of dying. Yet, considering everything that happened, it probably would've been the Fang that killed me. [Scoffs] Ain't that something?_

* * *

It really didn't take long for Yang to regret confronting Blake.

To begin with, Yang instantly regretted taking the tone she did with Blake. Granted, when she saw the manila folder from Velvet waiting on her desk when she came in the morning, and after she took a look at the revelations inside, she wasn't exactly in a peachy mood. But if she had known the whole story behind Blake's parents, she absolutely wouldn't have reacted the way she did.

Why couldn't Blake just tell the truth about Yang the first time around? Did she really have that little faith and trust in Yang to begin with?

Of course, that's when Yang's train of thought circled around to why Blake - and pretty much everyone else she knew - didn't exactly have a whole lot of trust in her. Yang was confrontational, temperamental - she always knew that about herself. But to see it finally reflected back towards herself in the way she both frightened and angered Blake this morning?

To Yang, it was no wonder, then, why Weiss no longer believed Yang could get better. Why the rift between her and her mother had gotten so deep, it was beyond repair. And why her own partner was beginning to hate her.

Yang's regret was only exponentiated when she returned to her and Blake's desk about an hour later to find Blake's desk empty. Yang didn't take long to figure out that Blake had probably taken the rest of the day off, likely to avoid having to see Yang.

The rest of the day was spent grinding away at paperwork, trying desperately to get arrest warrants and surveillance approved on the few White Fang associates that were known to the VKPD. Of the highest priority for Yang, however, was the head of the snake himself - Adam Taurus.

* * *

_JA: Did you know who Adam Taurus was, at the time?_

_YXL: Did I know who he was? [Scoffs] I'm pretty sure there wasn't a person in Vale who didn't know who Adam Taurus was. To most people on the streets, he was a terrorist. They knew him from the hospital he bombed, back in 2015. To humanity, he was the devil incarnate. But to the VKPD, he was essentially public enemy no. 1, because of how fuckin' slick that son of a bitch was._

_JA: Slick, in what way?_

_YXL: I mean, you couldn't stick a charge with that guy. Everyone knew he ran the corners in Mountain Glenn, and he had a sizeable footing in Vale City, too. Drug busts, car bombs, bodies gutted in the middle of the street - everyone knew the White Fang did it, and everyone knew that Adam Taurus was responsible for it, one way or another. But who the fuck was gonna testify against him? Very few cops were even willing to go up against him, because they knew that it would only end with them at the bottom of the river._

_JA: If that's the case, why'd you serve an arrest warrant out for him, knowing the can of worms you'd open?_

_YXL: [Shrugs] I had a case to solve. Pure and simple. And he had the answers. I might not have been able to slap him with any charges, but ideally, I would at least be able to figure out what was really going on by talking to him, or I could at least send him a message that I wasn't gonna take any bullshit with him._

* * *

The headache of trying to slog through the paperwork was exacerbated by the fact that Yang had to work alone. At the very least, having Blake at her desk would've comforted her.

Yang couldn't help it, but recently, she found her eyes drifting over to Blake's desk as she worked. The two's desks were angled so that Blake's side was turned to Yang, so Blake often didn't notice when Yang would be looking.

Maybe it was because Yang was still with Weiss at the time, but Yang hadn't realized just how beautiful Blake was when she first saw her. Now, sneaking occasional glances at Blake as she typed away at her computer screen, Yang couldn't help but feel entranced. The way her silky smooth black hair rolled down over her shoulders, how the features of her face were perfectly rounded and sharp, how her amber eyes gazed intently on whatever it was she was doing.

From time to time, Blake would sometimes catch Yang looking, and Yang would quickly dart her eyes away, her cheeks quickly turning rosy with embarrassment. The few times Yang would look back at Blake, she'd see a blush forming on Blake's face as well.

Now, at 6 in the evening, with most of the office gone, Yang staggered back to her desk like a zombie, knowing full well that Blake wouldn't be there. There was still a lot of work left to be done in getting surveillance on the Fang ready, and Yang didn't want to face the work alone - yet she soldiered on.

Yang sighed. In some ways, having Blake by her side was like a safety net for Yang, giving her some sense of comfort. Now, Yang felt like the safety net had been cut down, and she was free-falling.

As Yang rounded the corner and marched past the rows of empty desks, she spotted another detective with a crimson suit jacket and blue hair leaning on her desk. Yang rolled her eyes as she approached him.

"Neptune," Yang groaned, "I've been looking for you for like the last hour or so. I gotta talk to you about getting a warrant on Taurus-"

The detective turned around. Yang was greeted not by Neptune's smile, but Henry Marigold's smirk. Yang's brow furrowed instantly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Yang croaked.

"Come with me, Yang," Henry said. "We need to talk."

Yang groaned, and then threw up her hands.

"Alright, fine," Yang complained, "let's go out in the hallway and talk-"

"No, not the hallway," Henry softly replied. "Somewhere else. Come with me."

Normally, Yang would've put up resistance. She would've responded with some wisecracks, or some sort of excuse to delay having to talk with this slimeball. But, given that she was exhausted beyond caring, and she didn't want to be distracted later when filling out the resource allocation forms, she figured it was best to just get this out of the way.

"Alright, fine," Yang said. "Lead the way."

Henry hopped off her desk, and Yang followed Henry across the office, past a sea of barren desks and dead-quiet cubicles.

After a good few minutes of walking in silence, Henry and Yang approached a set of wooden double doors. Henry opened the doors and held it open for Yang to enter. Without so much of a thank-you, Yang glided past the smirking Henry.

The room Yang entered was a conference room - much more formal than the ones in the Robbery-Homicide division's wing. The walls were lined with fine dark oak, and the large table stretching across the room looked polished and smooth. Big, black leather seats circled around the table. Yang looked around and saw no one in the room, save for Ozpin sitting at the far end of the table, and Sky Lark standing next to him.

"Yang," Oz's voice echoed.

"Oz," Yang's voice boomed as a greeting. Yang saw Sky give a silent nod to Yang, which she didn't reciprocate.

"What's this all about?" Yang said, as she glided over to Ozpin. "Why's Marigold here?"

"Yang, have a seat," Oz said, gesturing to an open seat near him. Yang obliged, sinking down into the chair.

It was then that Yang noticed a bodycam sitting in front of Ozpin - Cardin's. A glass of water stood next to the bodycam, in front of Ozpin.

"Is that…" Yang asked, pointing at the bodycam. Ozpin silently nodded in response.

"Yang," Ozpin's refined voice hummed, "did you recover this bodycam from the crime scene?"

"...Yes," Yang replied.

"And did you have Velvet Scarlatina in IT decrypt this body camera for you, without informing the rest of the investigation?"

"...yes, but I-"

Ozpin stopped Yang by putting his hand, silencing her. Yang shut up instantly, a queasy feeling inside beginning to build.

"I'll let you know, the bodycam was successfully decrypted today," Ozpin said. "All video files on the bodycam are recoverable, and we just need to extract them to view them."

"...Oh-well, that's good news," Yang said, surprised at Ozpin's answer. "So, are we gonna see what's on here, or…"

Yang watched as Henry sauntered over to the bodycam and picked it up. Henry then scooped up the glass of water in his right hand, and - after pausing for dramatic effect - plopped the bodycam in the glass of water.

"Oops," Henry snided, a devilish grin stretching from one side of his face to the other.

Yang felt like all the air had left her body, as if she was sucker-punched in the gut. Within a second, she had exploded up from her chair.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing!?" Yang shouted at the top of her lungs as she charged over to Henry. Yang saw Sky begin charging towards Yang, ready to block her.

"Yang," Ozpin groaned, seemingly annoyed. Sky was now right in front of Yang and had wrapped her in a bear hug, preventing her from railroading over towards Henry.

"Are you fucking crazy!?" Yang screeched as she writhed around in Sky's arm, struggling to break free. "You motherfucker-"

"YANG!" Ozpin's voice boomed. Yang froze instantly - so did Sky. As Sky lowered his arms from Yang, part of her still contemplated rushing over towards Henry and snapping his neck, but the thunder from Ozpin's command stopped her dead in her tracks.

"You lay a single finger on anyone here, Yang, I'll have you fired," Ozpin said. "And that goes for anyone else in the room."

Yang's brow furrowed.

"Oz," Yang gasped, "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Sit down, all of you," Oz commanded, "and I'll explain."

Yang felt a tidal wave of horrid feelings take over her body. Yang met Ozpin's disapproving glare from behind his spectacles, and she quickly understood - whatever was going on, Ozpin was no longer on her side. Anger began to brew inside of her, but, knowing that it was the commissioner of the Vale Kingdom Police Department she was talking to, she sat down.

Ozpin turned in his seat to face Henry, standing to his left. Ozpin pointed a single, slender finger towards Henry.

"Was that really necessary?" Ozpin spat.

"Sorry," Henry said, laughing, "I just thought that I-"

"You sit down, too," Ozpin barked, "and you better be quiet for the rest of the time you're here."

Henry's smile instantly faded, and he quietly sat down in the chair to the left of Ozpin. Ozpin then turned to Yang.

"Yang," Ozpin gently spoke, "I know you must be confused-"

"Oz," Yang growled, "That bodycam had crucial evidence of the shooting. Recorded fuckin' evidence that would've clearly shown what I saw that night-"

"That bodycam was evidence taken from a crime scene without being reported to the proper channels," Ozpin coldly stated, "and was also accessed and decrypted through improper means by personnel who weren't even involved with the investigation."

"So what?" Yang shouted. "Okay, so I didn't fuckin' leave the bodycam at the crime scene, so it could be processed correctly. Big fuckin' deal. If I had, I guarantee you that it would've shown up to the evidence locker snapped in two-"

"That's beside the point, Yang," Ozpin said. "There are rules we have for handling evidence and conducting investigations in this department. They're there for a reason. Namely, to prevent the spread of confidential information."

Yang's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Huh?" Yang moaned. Henry rolled his eyes.

"Who else have you told about this bodycam besides Velvet Scarlatina?" Henry asked.

"No one," Yang hotly replied.

"You sure it was just Scarlatina?" Henry grilled.

"What the fuck did I just say?" Yang fired back.

Henry then glanced towards Ozpin, and gave him a silent nod. Ozpin nodded in return before turning to Yang.

"This morning, we relieved Velvet Scarlatina from duty," Ozpin softly and flatly said. "She'll receive none of her pensions, and she'll have none of the retirement benefits, no recognition of her service due to her violation of department protocol."

Yang's eyes widened with shock.

"Violation of protocol?" Yang gasped.

"You made her access an officer's bodycam without a formal subpoena," Henry snided. "That's technically accessing state-classified information, under the Articles of State Informations Act. She could've gone to jail for that. So, really, she got off easy."

"Oz," Yang said, turning to Ozpin, "It was me. I put her up to decrypting the bodycam. It wasn't her fault. Please, if you're gonna fire anyone, it should be me-"

"Well, you just might be in luck, because Commissioner Ozpin here just might relieve you of your duties too," Henry snided, "...depending on whether you can keep a secret."

Yang's eyes narrowed.

"Oz," Yang said, turning to the old man in his chair, "you're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?"

Oz nodded.

"I am, Yang," Oz softly said. "I'm sorry. I have no other option."

Yang froze, her mouth ajar from the shock of betrayal.

"Here's what's gonna happen, Yang. This bodycam here…" Henry said, rattling the bodycam around in the glass of water, "...never existed, as far as the investigation goes. You're gonna drop out of the investigation, and you're gonna rescind any eyewitness testimonies you've given. Cardin and Russell are gonna give testimonies claiming self defense after the faunus kid charged them, and Sky here is gonna shut the case. I'm gonna reccomend acquittals on murder charges, and Cardin and Russell are gonna be relieved of their duties. Don't worry, I'll make sure they won't get their pensions either-"

"You son of a bitch," Yang growled at Henry. "Did Jacques put you up to this or something, you motherfucker?"

Henry stared in disbelief at Yang, before he burst out laughing.

"Yang, Jacques doesn't even know this shooting happened," Henry smirked. "I'm just doing my job as a DA."

"Yang," Ozpin said, rubbing his temples, "as much as I'd prefer otherwise, Henry's going to make sure that all of this will be taken care of, neat and tidy, so if you could please listen carefully to what he has to say-"

"Like hell I will," Yang said. "And you, Oz. I fuckin' trusted you. I thought you had my back."

"I still do, Yang," Ozpin replied. "I have all of the officer's backs in the department. And that includes Cardin and Russell as well."

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?" Yang scoffed. "Those two fuckin' knuckleheads? They just gunned down a fuckin' civilian with VKPD pistols, in VKPD uniforms. Is that not murder to you?"

"Yang, I am not arguing with you about the morality of Winchester and Thrush's actions," Ozpin spat. "You know as well as I do that I find what they've done reprehensible. But the truth of the matter is, there is a world out there - media outlets, social activists, community leaders - who want to know why this is the 5th unarmed Faunus who's been gunned down by VKPD this year. If there is a video of the shooting and eyewitness testimony that will clearly put our officers in the wrong, there is no way that we can acquit them of the murder charge. We _cannot_ have that."

"And why the fuck is that, exactly?" Yang hissed.

"If I were to leave the two officers at the mercy of a jury, as you have been suggesting, that'll send a message to the rest of the police that I won't have their backs," Ozpin said. "But if I were to go through with the acquittal anyways, there will most certainly be riots in the street. Either way, Yang, it'll be pandemonium. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let chaos break loose under my command-"

"Oh, bullshit," Yang hissed. "You're just trying to avoid the negative press so you can get re-elected as commissioner again, aren't you?"

"I'm trying to keep order, Yang-"

"Fuck you!" Yang shouted, standing up. "You're just a-a fraudulent fuckin' rat, just like Henry and the rest. You fuckin' lied to me. You don't fuckin' stand for justice, morals, any of that shit - you're just a rank-chasing piece of shit."

Ozpin sighed.

"Yang," Ozpin said, "When you become commissioner yourself, you'd do the same thing I'm doing now. It's not right, but it's what's got to happen to keep the peace."

Yang scoffed.

"That's where you're wrong, Oz," Yang flatly said, "because I won't ever get far enough to become commissioner. I fuckin' quit."

Ozpin shook his head, disappointed.

"Alright, then. Two weeks, with pay. Wrap up your cases in that time," Ozpin said, standing up. "And you'll be asked to sign a Non-Disclosure agreement when you leave. So it goes without saying that nothing that was discussed here will leave this room."

Ozpin brushed past Yang without a single word of acknowledgement and opened the set of doors to the room. Sky silently left the room as well, and Yang watched as Henry strode past Yang, a smug grin on his mouth.

"Have a nice night, detective," Henry sneered.

* * *

Yang was able to keep a cold, composed look on her face until she exited the department building in the dead of night.

Striding under the radiant glow of the parking lot light, Yang silently slid to the driver's side door of the car, and then slammed it shut. Instead of cramming the keys into the ignition and peeling out of the parking lot, Yang simply sat in the driver's seat, and then exhaled.

Yang reached her right hand up and adjusted the rear-view mirror so that her lilac eyes reflected back at her. Yang saw her eyes begin to glisten, and a single tear welled up in her right eye before rolling down her cheek.

* * *

_YXL: Sitting in my car, right after pretty much the last good thing I had going in my life had imploded, I honestly shoulda felt angry or something. But, really, the only thing I felt was some kind of sadness. Despair, I guess. You know, this whole time, I was trying not to acknowledge it, but everything in my life had something rotten, or broken, underneath the surface. Not just my job, but all my relationships, worldviews, all the systems I was caught in. I thought if I fought hard enough, maybe I could've changed something, and that'll fix everything. Make all the broken things go away. I was naive to think that. [Sigh] The VKPD's outward purpose is to serve the community, to bring justice. Shine a light on all corners of the kingdom, so that all the horrible things that happen in the dark are brought front and center. I truly, honestly believed that that's what we were doing for a while, too. Just...good police work, I guess. But the day Ozpin sat me down and told me that a fuckin' murderer was gonna walk, just because he wore the same badge as the rest of us, that's when I started to accept the ugly truth. The VKPD was just another broken machine. It was cold, uncaring - it would catch innocent lives in its gears and grind them down until they were no more. The kid that got shot, Mata, was just another casualty, swept to the side so that the gears of the broken machine would just keep turning. Time and time again._

_PN: After you left the department building that night, where did you go?_

_YXL: Where else in the city could I go? I was angry, scared - I didn't want to be alone. I mean, I was staying in some shitty motel by then, after I got kicked out of Weiss's apartment. And I knew that it was no use crawling back to her, she was done with my bullshit. My family was far away in Patch, and my mother was probably sitting in her riverfront penthouse, probably still pissed with me. I was alone in Vale, with nothing left...except with my partner._

* * *

Yang blinked away the tears in her eyes, and turned them to the keys, still dangling in the ignition. Yang turned the keys, roaring the engine to life, before she shifted the car into drive and slowly began to roll out of the parking lot.

* * *

Blake couldn't move. Not even to turn her head, and look at the alarm clock on her dresser next to her. Lying on her stiff mattress in her bedroom, Blake knew that tonight was going to be just like any other night - sleepless.

There wasn't much in Blake's room to look at, as only a bed, nightstand and dresser could be found in her cramped bedroom. In fact, her entire apartment was similarly barren, with only the bare minimal furniture populating it. The space heater in the apartment worked, but other than that, Blake's apartment in the middle of the Industrial District left much to be desired.

Three hollow knocks from the front door echoed through the apartment. Blake didn't move a muscle.

Blake felt as if all her muscles were locked in place as she gazed up at the ceiling. Light through the blinders of the window to her side spread itself across the ceiling, a dull orange glow casting itself in even lines, punctuated by shadows from the shade. Whenever the occasional car would drive by, the white light of the headlights would dance across the ceiling's lights, before ebbing away.

* * *

_BB: I think it was probably around midnight, that day. Sleep paralysis had become as normal in my life as breathing or walking. I'd lie in my bed, eyes wide open, staring up at the blank ceiling while unable to even move a finger._

_LR: How long had you been experiencing symptoms?_

_BB: Probably 5 years or so. Like I said, nothing I could do would make a difference - doctors, pills, et cetera. It got bad enough that I was starting to see hallucinations at night. Even then, I couldn't move a muscle in response. All I could do lay still, until the sun would eventually rise._

_NV: Were they anything like your "daydreams"? Like the ones you had in the department building?_

_BB: No, these were more...dream-like, I guess. Almost like I didn't even feel present for any of it. None of it felt real, it was all numb. But, it still didn't feel like anything less than a nightmare._

* * *

Blake's glossy eyes focused itself onto the ceiling, the striped, pattern lines from the windowshade's shadow painted across the plaster surface. A flash of lightning outside quickly illuminated the room with a white flash, and rain pattered on the window.

Blake felt slightly startled from the arrival of thunder. Blake could have sworn that there wasn't any thunder a second ago - now it was raining cats and dogs outside. Was it truly raining? Did she simply not notice the change in weather as she laid in her bed? Or was her mind actively playing tricks on her again, another spell being cast over her senses? Nevertheless, Blake didn't even twitch - even if her body would've cooperated, what would be the point, when she wasn't even sure if what she was seeing was truly real truly real?

Another burst of lighting outside, another hot-white flash in the room. This time, Blake sees the outline of an object's shadow - a gun - superimposed among the lines of the windowshade's shadow on the ceiling. Another pang of fear, but once again, her muscles don't respond. Amidst the white noise of the rain against the window, Blake could hear the distinct rapping of knuckles against wood, outside of her apartment. Was there someone at her door?

Another explosion of lightning. The lightning came before the sound of thunder, and as the room silently lit up, Blake's eyes fixated on the window's silhouette and saw the figure of a man. Atop his head stood two large horns. Were they devil-horns? Blake knew better - bullhorns stood atop the head of the man in the shadows.

This thunderblast was much closer to Blake's apartment, and the sound roared and echoed throughout her room this time, shaking the walls. This sensation was enough to jolt Blake awake, as she shot up from her bed, gasping for air.

Blake's eyes wildly scanned the room as she quickly came back to the waking world. Blake's chest rose and fell as she sucked in breath after breath, and she quickly began to decipher her surroundings.

She was in her bed. Her alarm clock read 1:21 AM. And, indeed, it was raining outside - her mind wasn't playing tricks with her on that one.

The sound of a door knock caused Blake's head to snap instantly towards the direction of the front door of her apartment unit. Now fully awake and in command of her senses, Blake knew without uncertainty that the knocking was coming from her apartment's front door.

"Coming!" Blake managed to shout groggily. Blake groaned, and dragged herself out of bed and onto her feet. The blood began to rush back to her head, and she felt her legs begin to buckle and stumble. Blake took a deep breath, regaining her balance, before she woozily stepped towards her bathroom, across from her bedroom. Blake flicked the light switch on, the bright light from the bulb overhead quickly overloading Blake's sight, sending needles stabbing into her brain. Blake shielded her eyes, and as she blinked twice, her eyes began to adjust to the brightness in the room.

Blake looked down at the sink, and then turned the cold water handle all the way. Blake cupped her hands together and splashed it against her face, the icy blast sending a shockwave through her senses. If Blake wasn't awake before, she definitely was now.

Another knock on the door - this time louder, more vicious.

"I said I'm coming!" Blake shouted, before grumbling to herself. Blake turned to the bath towel behind her and quickly mopped off her face. Once her face was dry, Blake marched herself to the front door and began undoing the latches, readying her "kind words" for whoever wanted to disturb her at 1 AM at night.

Blake swung the door open. As she looked out into the hall, her eyes widened with shock as she saw Yang standing in front of her.

Yang was still wearing her black blazer from the morning, but Blake's eyes quickly picked out damp patches where her blazer was wet from the rain. Yang's blonde hair hung stringy and clumped from her head, and her face was pale-white. Yang's body was shivering, her arms crossed across her rapidly rising-and-falling chest as she breathed heavily. As Yang laid her eyes on Blake, she saw a small little small grow on Yang's face.

"Yang?" Blake asked.

"Hey...Blake…" Yang softly whispered.

"What, uh...what are you doing here?" Blake asked, her brow furrowing.

"I, uh...could I...Could I come in for a sec?" Yang stammered.

Blake paused. Her first instinct was to say yes, but her defensive instincts quickly kicked in.

"I don't know, Yang," Blake said, shaking her head, "It's midnight, and I'm trying to get sleep-"

"Look, Blake-" Yang said, before pausing and looking down at her feet. Yang then turned her head back up towards Blake, her eyes red and glossed over with tears.

"I just wanted to say...I'm sorry. For this morning," Yang croaked out. "I know it's no excuse, but my whole life, I've been fighting people, and I've been so used to building walls up with people who're close to me, cause I always figured…"

Yang sniffled.

"...I always figured that one way or another, they'll find some way to hurt me when I let my guard down. And-and-"

"Yang," Blake said, stopping Yang's stammering. "It's okay. I forgive you-"

"No," Yang hoarsely whispered. "No, you shouldn't. Because...ever since I've met you, you've always been there for me. You've been there when I was down bad, and I needed you the most, and-and...you've shown me nothing but affection, and today I took it all for granted."

Yang whimpered.

"Yang-"

"He's gonna walk," Yang said, choking back tears. "Cardin. And Russell. Oz himself said he's gonna let it happen."

A single tear rolled down Yang's left cheek as she bit her lip to prevent her from crying.

"The fucking commissioner is letting murderers go free, Blake. I trusted him. I trusted that man with my life, and I believed in his stupid fuckin' sermons about duty, honor. I thought we were gonna be some...some...God, I don't know, a beacon of justice," Yang said, scoffing. "But, now I know they're just another broken machine."

"Yang," Blake said softly, putting her right hand on Yang's shoulder. Blake gazed into Yang's eyes, seeing the hurt in them once more, just like when Weiss had broken her heart.

"Blake…" Yang softly said, "...when I was this low before, with Weiss leaving, I thought that I would end up losing everything and everyone I held dear in my life. Now, it's finally starting to come true."

Yang blinked away tears, and then looked Blake straight in her eyes.

"You're the last thing I have in my life, Blake," Yang said. "And I don't want to lose you, too."

Blake stood completely still, dead silent. Her mind was still hazy and playing catch-up with everything Yang had just said, but all Blake could see was the hurt Yang was in. Blake had seen it before, and she'd seen Yang try to hide it in the tough exterior she wore to work. Now, though, all Blake wanted was to make her pain go away.

Almost on instinct, Blake felt her arms wrap themselves around the shivering Yang and holding her tight. This was obviously the breaking point for Yang, as Blake heard her audibly begin sobbing. Yang's arms fumbled around before they reciprocated Blake's hug, and Yang lowered her head and burrowed her face into Blake's shoulder. Blake felt Yang's body expand and contract with each breath, the warmth of her body beginning to seep through her rain-soaked clothes. Blake closed her eyes, letting Yang's warmth soothe her.

* * *

Yang felt peace, being wrapped up In Blake's arms. It was a soothing sort of comfort, warmer than she ever experienced before. She felt like her body and muscles begin to relax, her nerves begin to settle. The cloud of dark thoughts in her head began to dissipate, leaving her only room to hold Blake in her mind.

Yang lifted her head out from Blake's shirt and brought it back. Still pressed close to Blake, Yang found herself staring back at Blake, taking in every detail - the loose strands of black hair, the cat ears on top of her head that were standing straight up, the slight twitch in the corner of her mouth, the amber eyes that returned her gaze with a look that made Yang feel warm, safe - loved.

Without even thinking about it, Yang closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss Blake.

Almost instantly, Blake pulled back, freeing herself from Yang's embrace.

"Oh," Blake awkwardly whispered.

Yang's eyes went wide with shock, as she grasped what she had just done. Blake's eyes were similarly wide with shock, her mouth wide open with disbelief.

"Oh my god," Yang whispered.

Another burst of thunder cracked in the background. Yang put her hands up to her mouth, as her pulse quickened and the feeling of dread returned to her body.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Yang croaked with a hushed tone, her voice muffled by her hands.

What the hell did I just do? Yang thought to herself. Why did I do that? The sight of Blake's surprised expression only made Yang feel worse. Did she just overstep her boundaries with Blake?

Yang watched Blake's mouth twitch, and, looking into her eyes, saw her look of complete stupor quickly turn into something else, something more...resolute, as her eyes quickly set ablaze.

In a graceful motion that shocked even Yang, Blake took her hands and lowered Yang's hands from her mouth down to her side. Blake brought her head forward, quickly planting her lips onto Yang's and returning her kiss.

Now, it was Yang's turn to be surprised. The sensation of Blake's lips on hers, her warm breath on her skin, sent chills across every nerve. Yang's heart thumped in her chest, but she suddenly felt her muscles relax as she shut her eyes and kissed Blake back. Yang brought her right hand up to Blake's head and burrowed her fingers between strands of Blake's hair as Yang pressed Blake closer to her.

Yang was so caught up that she hadn't even noticed that Blake had pulled Yang into her apartment. The feeling of Blake's tongue on her lips made Yang shudder as Yang felt herself lean into Blake's arms. Yang remembered that the door to the apartment was still open to the outside world. Without even having to open her eyes or leave from Blake's arms, Yang lifted her foot up and kicked the door shut, swinging it closed behind her.

* * *

_PN: After leaving the department offices that night, you left for Blake Belladonna's apartment, correct?_

_YXL: Yeah._

_PN: What happened once you arrived?_

_YXL: [Shrugs] Coffee._

* * *

_BB: We had coffee. That was it._

_NV: [Giggles] Coffee. Really?_

_BB: ...Yeah, really._

_NV: [More giggles] Okay, whatever you say._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - Some life stuff has popped up for me, and idk if I'm gonna have time to get the next chapter polished in time by next week. So, no guarantees, but expect an off-week in updates next Friday.


	11. Coffee and Eggs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter one this time. After next week's chapter (Chapter 11), I'm gonna have to take another hiatus (likely 2-3 months) so I can write the next arc of the story. Ideally, the next time you'll see this updated after the hiatus, I'll have the entire rest of the story ready to go.  
> Also, for anyone who wants it or cares, I made a playlist of songs I was listening to while writing, or thought would work well as a soundtrack to the story. I've also put it in the first chapter's A/N as well. You can search for it in spotify by searching for the profile "TiredOfTomorrow" with the playlist "Thieves Like Us," or you can click on the spotify link below: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qEkSXu3Pg3dHBgL8l8EPL

For the first time in what felt like forever, Blake was able to sleep.

When Blake finally opened her eyes, it was morning. The room was illuminated from the morning sun, and the sounds of birds faintly chirping could be heard outside.

Blake's limbs were sprawled out on her bed, atop the messy tangle of sheets. Blake groaned, and then rubbed her eyes. Sitting up, Blake felt a creaking soreness in her arms and legs. Blinking out the blurriness, Blake saw that she was down to her undergarments, a sea of clothes strewn haphazardly on the carpet floor underneath. The sight of the clothes made Blake remember last night, and she blushed.

Blake heard a crackling and popping noise outside her room, towards the kitchen area. Her brows furrowed, Blake hopped to her feet and quickly threw on a pair of sweatpants and a black tank-top.

Blake stumbled out of her room and towards the kitchen. Once she finally got there, she was greeted with the sight of Yang, standing near the stove.

Yang's hair was a mess, stray strands sticking out in every direction. Hovering over the stove, with her side facing Blake, Yang was currently stirring something aromatic around in her pan. The only clothes Yang had on was a large, oversized, grey t-shirt that stretched down to the middle of her thighs. Seeing Yang in the comically oversized shirt made it look like she was wearing a potato sack dress to Blake, which made her giggle slightly.

Yang must've heard Blake's suppressed laughter over the sizzle of the pan, as she snapped her head up towards Blake, a slight look of surprise on her face.

"Jesus," Yang gasped, "You scared me."

"Sorry," Blake said. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"No, no, it's fine," Yang said. "Sorry, my-uh...the clothes…"

"You mean your clothes?" Blake asked. Yang lit up red with embarrassment, likely from choking up on her words.

"Yes, my clothes," Yang said, laughing, "My clothes were still wet from last night, so I hung them up to dry. I hope you don't mind, but I just grabbed this shirt from out of your closet-"

"Not a problem," Blake said. "It looks good on you."

Yang blushed, and then returned with a faint smile.

"When did you get up?" Blake asked.

"I, uh - I got up about half an hour ago," Yang stammered. "You were still pretty conked out, so I figured I should let you sleep and I would make some breakfast."

Blake nodded, smiling. Yang must've saw this, as she began to sport a slight grin as well.

"I, um, I looked in your fridge, and the only thing you really had were some eggs. I don't know how you like them, so I just scrambled yours, but if you want them sunny side up, you can take mine-"

"I'll take the scrambled eggs," Blake said, chuckling. "Thanks."

Yang blushed and nodded, before returning her attention back to the eggs.

* * *

Blake had already finished eating by the time Yang began to even touch her food. Blake had went to grab a cup of coffee from the coffee maker in the corner of the kitchen, but had instead gotten two mugs out of the cupboard - one for her, and one for Yang.

"How do you like your coffee?" Blake asked.

"Black," Yang replied, her voice muffled with food. Blake nodded, then poured coffee into the two mugs, then put sugar and creamer in her own.

Blake walked back to her table and set Yang's mug next to her plate. Yang looked up at Blake, her lilac eyes glowing and giddy smile stretched across her face.

"Thanks," Yang quipped. Blake smiled and nodded silently, before returning to her seat across from Yang at the table.

Blake quietly sipped her coffee while she watched Yang dig into a plate of eggs and hash browns she had made for herself. Blake remembered that Yang was probably starving, since she spent the whole of last night at the department building before she came to Blake's apartment.

"I got a question...why'd you become a cop?" Blake asked abruptly, as Yang shoveled another forkful of hashbrowns into her mouth.

"Hm?" Yang muffled, before she swallowed her food. "Why do you ask?"

"I dunno," Blake said. "I've been partners with you for a bit now, but I never really figured that part out."

Yang shrugged.

"I wanted to look badass," Yang coyly replied. "Cops look badass. People think it's hot."

Blake laughed.

"Come on, Yang," Blake chuckled, "shoot straight with me."

"Fine, fine," Yang relented. Yang paused, took a sip of her coffee, and then turned her eyes to Blake.

"Do you know about my family?" Yang asked.

"Well, I've met your mother," Blake said. "She's pretty hard to forget."

"Right," Yang said. "I don't think I told you about my Dad and Uncle, though. My uncle Qrow...he was a gangster, an underboss in the Branwen family mob before they dissolved. My Dad, though, he was an undercover officer in the VKPD. He was assigned to take my mom and uncle down. So, my Dad infiltrates the Branwen crime family as some low-level thief who kicks up to them, gains their trust, et cetera - that's how he met my mother. It wasn't long till they had me."

"Did you know your father's secret, growing up?" Blake asked. "That he was a cop?"

Yang shook her head.

"My parents did a good job at hiding the cops and robbers shit from me. As far as I knew, my dad was a bartender, and my mom and uncle ran their father's sanitation business. But I knew there had to be something more to them. Even as a kid, I could tell they weren't showing me who they really were. I could even see it in the differences between my Dad and my Mom - the way my Dad always approached us with warmth and kindness, while my Mom was always aloof, cold."

"My suspicions were more or less confirmed after my Dad sat me down one day and told me he wasn't really a bartender, and that he was a cop. He had to tell me that mom and Uncle Qrow did some bad things - criminal things - and because of that, they weren't gonna be a part of our lives anymore. Qrow got 25 years, Raven left for Mistral to wait until the heat died down."

"I think my Dad always felt bad about what he did, breaking up our family like that. He always told me that my mom did bad things, but she wasn't a bad person at heart. But, hearing that my mom was a criminal just kinda validated the idea in my head that, well - criminals were bad people, like my mom, and the ones who upheld the law were good people - like my Dad. I guess I just grew up with that outlook, and I always told myself that I would never stoop to break laws, like my mother did."

"Why a policewoman, then? Why not just get a normal job?" Blake said. "There's plenty of jobs out there where you don't have to break the law."

Yang snorted.

"What, you mean like a desk job?" Yang said. "I could never. Even if I wanted to, I think it's hard-coded in my DNA or something to seek out action. I wouldn't last in a job like that, but trust me, I'd jump out the window if I had to go work in some office, taking orders on a computer like a stiff."

Yang leaned back in her chair.

"I'm not proud of it, but I'm drawn to the streets. It's the only thing I know and bothered to learn, growing up with a family full of cops and crooks. I don't know what I'd do if I left it."

Yang grimaced.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do once I hand in my badge," Yang admitted. "I doubt any other department would hire me after this whole fiasco. Maybe I'll just take up work as a private investigator or something - my old friend, Coco Adel, did that when she quit the force."

"Maybe you could be a mall cop?" Blake chimed. "You could get your own little segway to ride on."

"Fuck you," Yang snided without missing a beat, drawing a chuckle from Blake.

"Alright, your turn," Yang said.

"What?" Blake said, surprised.

"I told you why I became a cop," Yang said. "Now you tell me about why you did, too."

"Oh…" Blake said, pausing. "I mean...it's not interesting. Not like your story."

"Doesn't have to be," Yang said. "Trust me, if it's _your_ story, I'll pay attention."

Blake pursed her lips.

"I mean...I saw how bad things in the world were for people like me," Blake said. "And I wanted to make a difference. I knew the Faunus didn't trust the police, and vice versa, but, I thought that if I became a cop...I dunno, I could help bridge the divide. I was young and stupid when I joined up."

Yang shrugged.

"There's nothing stupid about wanting to make the world a better place," Yang offered.

"Sure it isn't," Blake said, "But I was foolish enough to think that I actually _could_ make a difference."

"Who's saying you can't?" Yang nonchalantly said, before taking another gulp of coffee.

Blake grimaced.

* * *

_BB: I really did want to make a difference by being a cop, even while I pledged loyalty to the Fang. In fact, I was naïve enough to think that being a White Fang member in the police alone was enough to make a difference. In Mountain Glenn, or Vale, or really any kingdom in Remnant, the police and the Faunus were like oil and water. Generations of abuse, mistrust, violence - I thought that if I brought my perspectives and experiences into the police, I could change things for the better from the inside. Then, there wouldn't be a need for the White Fang. No more violence - just humans and Faunus in harmony. But, unlike Yang, I learned the brutal truth early on, when I was still a detective in Mountain Glenn. The police, humans, faunus, everyone - they don't want change. All of them couldn't care less about making a better world - all that mattered was that they survive another day. I wanted to build a bridge between two different worlds, two different peoples, but with all the hate in the world, I quickly learned it would never come to be._

_LR: If you knew that this goal was impossible, why remain a cop?_

_BB: As a cop I was still useful to Adam. I knew it would keep me alive for the time being. I was just taking a page out of everyone else's book - do whatever it takes to survive. So, I took shit day after day, working in a system meant to destroy my people, simply because I knew I'd be killed if I didn't._

* * *

After breakfast, Yang and Blake knew it was best to take separate cars to work. It was better that way, so no one would suspect there was anything else going on between them. Yang got in at 9, and Blake would come in 10 minutes later.

Yang tapped a pen against her leg absentmindedly as she rested her chin in her hand, her elbow planted on her desk. Yang's mind was elsewhere, thinking about all the events of yesterday as she tuned out the sounds of phones and fax machines in the office.

On one hand, Yang knew a chapter was closing in her life. Two more weeks, and she'd be out of the one job she'd always wanted and always knew she was good at. The blindfold that she had on ever since she became a cop had been removed, and now she knew the true nature of those she put her trust in to do the right thing. It made her decision to quit a hell of a lot easier, but out of all the betrayals Yang felt in her life, this one stung the most.

On the other hand, though, Yang at least didn't feel so alone anymore.

Yang didn't know what the future held between Blake and her. Once Yang was off the force, Blake had no obligation to see her again. For all Yang knew, last night was just another one night stand, and Blake would just be another name in another long list of exes. A pit grew in Yang's stomach as she thought about it, so she pushed the thoughts to the side. All Yang wanted to think about was how good it felt to be Blake's arms yesterday.

Yang saw a figure round the corner and walk towards her desk. It didn't take Yang long to tell it was Blake. Almost on instinct, Yang felt a smile grow across her face as her eyes met Blake's. There was a spring in Blake's step today that Yang hadn't seen before. Blake smiled back at Yang and blushed a little as she sauntered over to her and Yang's desk.

Yang was so focused on Blake that she almost didn't notice Sun and Neptune rounding the corner behind Blake. Sun and Neptune wore panicked expressions on their face; their walking pace was brisked and hurried. Seeing Sun and Neptune concerned, of all people, made Yang feel concerned as well, and her smile instantly dropped. Blake must've seen this too, and a grim expression took over her face. As Blake reached her desk, she turned around and saw Sun and Neptune fast approaching.

"Yo," Sun gasped, "you guys need to see this."

"What's up?" Yang asked, confused.

"Just come with me to our desks," Sun commanded, before turning around and heading back the way he came.

Blake shot Yang a confused, quizzical look. Yang simply shrugged, and then got up, following on the heels of Neptune and Sun.

It was a short walk from Blake and Yang's desk to Sun and Neptune's, which was located in the Organized Crime Unit's branch located next door. Whenever Yang would make the trip over to their desks, Yang would usually make a comment to them about how messy it usually was - papers strewn all over, and empty cups of ramen perched perilously on the edge of their desks - but, obviously, Sun and Neptune were in no joking mood.

"Yang, did you fill out arrest warrants and subpoenas on Adam Taurus and his crew yesterday?" Sun hastily asked.

"Yeah," Yang said. "Why?"

Yang saw Blake's brow furrow, and then turn her gaze towards Yang.

"The White Fang?" Blake asked. "Why are we hitting them with warrants?"

"I was gonna tell you," Yang said, "I talked to some people recently, and I got sufficient reason to believe that the White Fang was behind Roman Torchwick's death."

"When were you gonna tell me this?" Blake prodded.

"I was gonna," Yang stammered, "but...everything just happened at once, and-"

"Look, guys," Neptune interrupted, "That's not important. What is important is that the White Fang knows you're making a move against them."

"What?" Yang shouted.

"There's been a leak in the department, especially when it comes to White Fang information," Neptune explained. "Some fuckin' process server is getting ahold of our documents and tipping the White Fang off. If I had known that you were gonna start filling out warrants and shit, I would have stopped you."

"Well, fuck - a lot of good that's gonna do us now!" Yang exclaimed angrily. "How the fuck do you know they know we're coming?"

"Look at this," Neptune said as he quickly swiveled his computer screen to Yang. Present on his screen was grainy, black-and-white footage of what appears to be the exterior of the back entrance of a warehouse. Neptune clicked play, which showed 2-3 SUV's and a box truck peeling out of the back entrance loading doors.

"We had surveillance on some of the compounds you submitted warrants on already," Neptune said. "At around 2-3 am this morning, cameras picked up all of the White Fang safehouses getting cleared the fuck out."

"Those fucking guys moved quick," Sun continued, "they left all their stash houses and warehouses bone dry. Not a single firearm, gram of narcotics or Lien left in there."

"What the fuck?" Yang exclaimed, as she watched the caravan of vehicles leaving the White Fang warehouse on the surveillance footage. "Aw, fuck, no, no, no - goddamnit!"

Yang swung her arm across Neptune's desk, ruffling up a storm of paper from the desk and knocking a cup of ramen to the ground.

"Yang, chill," Sun begged.

"Chill?" Yang gasped. "How the fuck am I gonna be chill when the White Fang just up and left the city? How the fuck are we gonna find them now?"

"That's the thing," Neptune replied coolly, "we already did."

Yang turned her head to Neptune, disbelief on her face.

"What?" Yang asked.

"We were able to get a few tails on some of the White Fang cars before they left the city," Neptune explained. "Lots of cars came from different locations in the city, but they all ended up in the same location…"

Neptune clicked out of the surveillance footage and then pulled up an internet map.

"...Here," Neptune said. "This abandoned meat packing plant in Mountain Glenn. Every single car from the White Fang chapter in Vale came to this location."

"No shit," Yang said. "You for sure?"

"The VKPD's undercover cars have been watching them from a distance all day," Neptune said. "Whatever this meat packing plant is, it just turned into a major hive for WF activity. What's more - field reports from this morning are indicating Adam Taurus is holed up in there. Mountain Glenn PD is currently surrounding the building as we speak, they aren't letting anyone in or out.

Yang pursed her lips, and then hardened her gaze, staring at the overhead satellite image of the plant.

"Come on, Blake," Yang said, turning on her heels and beginning to walk. "We gotta go."

"Go where?" Blake nervously asked.

"We gotta get to that meat packing plant," Yang exclaimed, as she paused walking. "If these guys got spooked and ran, I wanna figure out why. And only Adam Taurus is gonna have the answer."

Yang turned towards Sun and Neptune.

"Sun, Nep, you guys stay here," Yang commanded, "I need you to get on the phone with Oz and Mountain Glenn, tell them we're coming and we need SWAT at that address - the meat processing plant. If Tauru sis in there, we're gonna drag him out of there, by force if we have to."

"Yang, hold on just a minute," Blake said, as she caught up to Yang and put her hand on her shoulder. "Mountain Glenn is their turf. If they're all going to this one building, it'll likely be a trap-"

Yang whipped her head back to Blake.

"Listen, Blake," Yang said, "you don't want to come, that's no skin off my back. But I got a case to close, and now ain't the time for caution."

Blake opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Yang was already marching off.

* * *

It usually takes 30 minutes to drive from Vale down to Mountain Glenn. With the police lights and sirens on, and with Blake currently pushing the car past 90 mph on the highway, she projected that they'd arrive in under 15.

Blake's eyes were intensely focused on the road ahead, dodging and weaving between cars as they scrambled to get out of their way. In the corner of her eyes, Blake saw the skyscrapers of Vale disappear, replaced only by stubby, grimy concrete buildings - some of them with broken windows and blown-out walls. Blake knew they were getting close.

A few more miles, and Blake took the next exit off the highway, driving into an intersection littered with beaten-down cars and lined with liquor stores and pawn shops. The concrete was cracked, with large potholes in the middle of the street. Out of the window, Blake saw residents on the sidewalk begin to scurry away once they spotted some of the flashing red and blue; a group of younger children perched on the edge of the sidewalk stayed put, however - likely desensitized to police sirens at this point, so that it was nothing more than just another daily occurrence.

Blake saw a look of awe in Yang's face as she surveyed the surroundings of Mountain Glenn. Yang leaned forward as she looked upwards at the menacingly tall, grimy, brick towers they passed by. The towers were cross-shaped and smudged with visible soot on the outside, while towels, shirts and other clothes hung from the balconies that jutted out the side of the tower. Blake recognized them as the large council estates that served as the main housing facilities for the residents of Mountain Glenn - the very same ones that she grew up in.

* * *

_BB: From Yang's look alone, I could tell she was rattled by what she saw. For me, though, I was used to it. I hate to admit it, but Yang's response to how Mountain Glenn looked like was similar to how most humans react, when they come down there to the slums and see how we really lived._

* * *

_PN: What did you know about Mountain Glenn, at the time?_

_YXL: [Scoffs] I knew the history, sure. I knew that the Faunus got pushed out of Menagerie, after Vale and Atlas sent troops in there and practically burnt the whole island down to the sand, and one of the places the Vale Kingdom settled them in after they got off the boat was Mountain Glenn. I know it thrived for a little bit, serving as the main Faunus immigrant hub in the Vale Municipality. But of course, you throw in funding cuts, a few drug epidemics, gangs springing up from a dysfunctional police force, and just a general attitude of people not giving a fuck about the Faunus, then fast forward a few decades, and voila - you got what is effectively Vale's own majority-Faunus ghetto, complete with the high-rise housing projects._

_PN: You talk like you know the place._

_YXL: Yeah, well, that's where you're wrong. All the time I spent as detective up in Vale, and it still didn't prepare me for what I saw. Mountain Glenn wasn't a municipality - it was a warzone. A living hell. Buildings burnt out and broken down so only half of the concrete walls stood standing, the bodies of junkies and the sick littering the street because there weren't enough hospitals to care for them or enough room in the morgue to clean them up, emaciated children standing in the street with their tails between their legs and only grimy rags to cover them - a place like that shouldn't exist in all of Remnant. Yet, even to this day, it still stands._

* * *

The street leading up to the meat packing plant was more deserted, with only rusty, old warehouses and crumbling brick factories paving the way. The street was lined with weeds that grew between the cracks. At the end of the street, the hulking meat processing plant loomed auspiciously.

The plant was far beyond any point of operation - the concrete walls were chipped, grimy, and at some points completely crumbled, exposing the interior. Some parts of the plant had the remnants of shattered windows, with only sharp, jagged edges protruding from the frame. In front of the plant, a sea of police cruisers were parked with their lights on, red and blue dancing around on the surrounding buildings. The officers were out of their weapons with their guns drawn and aimed at the plant.

As Blake drove closer to the plant, she noticed two, black, unmarked SUVs parked further away from the cruisers. In front of the SUVs stood two figures, both of them armed with assault rifles - and neither of them wearing police uniforms.

"What the fuck?" Yang muttered to herself as Blake pulled the Crown Vic up towards the pair.

As Blake got closer, she was able to tell that one of them was a man with a burly build, fair complexion, neatly-trimmed brunette hair and tattoos running up and down his arms, while the other figure was a smaller-framed, darker-complexioned woman with a high-and-tight blonde haircut, interrupted by a few wisps of blonde hair jutting out from her bangs. Both of them wore civilian clothing - jeans and polo shirts - asides from large, olive-green kevlar tactical vests they had on, as well as black wraparound sunglasses. The man approached the driver's side of the Crown Vic, his right hand extended to tell Blake to put it in park, while his left hand cradled his assault rifle.

Blake put the car in park, and both she and Yang exited the car.

"Who the fuck are you guys?" Yang asked the burly man.

"We're the strike team," the man said. "I'm Clover, this over here is Harriet, and-"

"Strike team?" Yang questioned, "Where's SWAT?"

"They're on standby," Clover replied, "they'll be called if necessary. But we'll be the ones going into the building."

Yang scoffed.

"Yeah fuckin' right," Yang said. "I'm not having some polo-shirt wearing motherfucker spearhead this shit. Go get on the horn with the Mountain Glenn SWAT and tell them to get their asses down here-"

"Ms. Xiao Long…" Clover said softly, "they're not coming. I'd believe if you called the SWAT, they'd only tell you that you would actually be better off with us."

Yang's brow furrowed.

"How'd you know my name?" Yang asked.

Clover simply shrugged.

"We were told that you were the one spearheading this police case when we were briefed for this op," Clover said. "Info came from Ozpin himself. Said not to make a move till you got here."

Blake saw Yang's eyes scan this mysterious man from head to toe, before she saw the crooks of Yang's mouth twist in suspicion.

"What department you said you guys were from?" Yang interrogated.

"I never said what department we're from," the man coolly responded.

"Hey, asshole," Yang replied harshly, "if you want to get cute with me-"

"Listen, hon," the woman named Harriet spat as she stepped in front of Clover, "you can jerk these fuckin' Mountain Glenn rent-a-cops around that way, but you don't get to act like a fuckin' bitch to us-"

"Harriet, Harriet," Clover said as he turned around, putting his hands on Harriet's shoulder and squaring her away behind him, "now's not the time. Not now."

Blake saw Harriet pout, before Clover turned around and faced Yang again.

"I'm not at liberty to say what agency we're a part of," Clover said, "that's on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know right now. I'll tell you this much, though - if you look in each of our pockets, we got ID cards from the Mountain Glenn Police Department, labelling us as temporary special investigators. You can call the Mountain Glenn PD, or the VKPD, and they'll corroborate this."

Yang's face was flushed with a mix of confusion and anger, before Blake saw her turn her attention to three other figures standing by the black SUVs - all of them clad in civilian gear sans Kevlar vests, and all of them armed with M4 assault rifles.

"I want your guys' full names as registered on those ID's, and I want those guys' names as well," Yang commanded flatly. "When I call the VKPD, those names better check out with them, or it'll be you guys in handcuffs."

"Oh, you mean those guys by the truck?" Clover responded. "That's Marrow Amin...Vine Zeki...Elm Ederne...I'm Clover Ebi, this is Harriet Bree…"

* * *

_BB: Nothing about those guys seemed right. All of them had on civvie clothing - I think the one named Marrow even had on a pair of sneakers - but they all had kevlar vests, and they all had tricked out assault rifles, real military-grade weaponry. Whenever they passed by the Mountain Glenn officers, the officers always moved out of their way, like they were royalty or something. No one even paid them a second glance. They looked like textbook Delta Force operators, but no one knew which agency they belonged to._

_LR: Did seeing those operators there raise any red flags to you, at the time?_

_BB: A little, but I already knew that special ops were being carried out on White Fang operations, long beforehand. Their presence and why they were there didn't concern me at the time. Rather, I shared Yang's concern - were they really going to send us into a WF-packed building with only a squad of 5? And, more personally - how was I going to explain to Adam why I was suddenly taking part in a raid on him? Was I going to have to potentially arrest - or kill - someone in the White Fang, all because Yang didn't tell me what she had planned?_

* * *

Blake watched in the corner of her eye as Yang, standing far out of hearing distance of either her or the Delta Force operatives, hung up her phone and then began walking back. A hardened look on Yang's face, Blake could instantly tell that whatever was said in her call back to VKPD hadn't pleased her. Yang instantly marched up to Clover and got up in his face.

"Alright, asshole," Yang spat, "I don't know how or why the fuck Ozpin gave you dip-chewing, black-op cowboy assholes clearance for this, but you guys got a green-light...under my tactical command."

"We're under your tactical command?" Clover questioned incredulously.

"That's what Oz said," Yang said. "I just got off the phone with him, and that's what came directly from his mouth. You want to fight him on it, you give him a call after this is done. But for now, we have the job of bagging and extracting Adam Taurus, so I want you assholes backing me up when I breach the building."

"Hold on, just a minute," Harriet gasped, "you really think you're going in there?"

"Well, I didn't come all the way down here from Vale just to sit and twiddle my thumbs, while you guys go play Rambo in there," Yang spat. "I'm coming in there, or this thing doesn't happen."

Clover and Harriet shot each other a wayward glance, before Clover gave Harriet an assuring nod.

"Fine," Harriet groaned, "but you let us take point. I don't want to deal with the headache if you guys get shot. We breach in five."

Yang and Harriet exchanged one last combative glance, before Yang turned around towards Blake.

"Blake, you coming?" Yang asked.

Blake didn't respond, as she felt the blood drain from her face. What should she do? Blake knew that if she went in the raid, she might very well not come out alive. But she knew that if she didn't, it would only look more suspicious on her part. And, for all she knew, Blake might be the only person who could get Yang out of that building alive.

"You heard me?" Yang repeated, to a still petrified Blake. "You coming or not?"

"...I'll go," Blake nodded meekly. Yang nodded with intent.

"Okay," Yang said. "This the first raid you've been a part of?"

Blake nodded sheepishly.

"Alright," Yang muttered, her right hand on her mouth, as she seemingly pondered Blake's response, before she then briskly walked to the trunk of their Crown Vic, and then opened it with a set of keys.

When Blake peered into the trunk, she was greeted with a set of two black kevlar vests with 'POLICE' emblazoned on the chest, along with a steel-grey MP5 SMG and a Remington 870 shotgun. Yang wasted no time scooping up a kevlar vest and then practically throwing it into Blake's arms.

"Try this on," Yang commanded, as she seamlessly slipped on her own vest. "Tell me if it's too loose or too tight. It'll be heavy at first, but you'll get used to it in a few minutes."

Blake struggled to slip on the bulky vest over her shirt, before tightening the straps.

"It's fine," Blake croaked.

"Alright," Yang muttered, before reaching into the trunk and then tossing Blake the MP5. Blake had to stoop to catch the gun, which dropped like a rock into her arms and almost made her fumble it.

"You know how to use this?" Yang asked.

"Yeah," Blake responded, before peering down at the steel-grey, weighty gun in her hands.

"Good," Yang said, before racking her shotgun. "Sorry, but I got dibs on the shotgun."

Blake watched as Yang turned on her heels and marched away from the car, her shotgun resting on her shoulder.


	12. .357

Blake pressed her left shoulder up against the concrete wall, her MP5 pointed down at the ground as she held onto the grip with her left hand. In front of Blake was Yang, the back of her head facing Blake, as Yang stared intently at the door to the rear entrance of the meat processing plant. In front of Yang were two of the Delta operators - the tall, lanky one named Vine, and Harriet - while on the far side of the door stood the burly operator named Elm, followed by Clover, followed by the one named Marrow.

The door to the plant was shut - it was made of steel, and was rusted over badly. Located on the rear of the plant, this entrance was much more secluded than going through the front door, albeit at the cost of losing any covering fire from the Mountain Glenn police situated out front. The plan was to enter the meat packing plant, and quickly find Adam Taurus. If push came to shove, lethal force has been authorized.

Blake didn't want to think about how crazy what she was about to do was. She didn't have time to think about how she was raiding the White Fang - the people she swore to protect - and how it would make her look like a traitor. But she was in it now - there was no backing down, and if there was going to be anyone who could prevent a massive shootout from breaking out, it would be her.

Blake saw Clover put his left hand on Elm's left shoulder, then give it a gentle tap, signifying her to move forward. Blake watched as Elm, rifle still aimed at the door, swivel to position herself square in front of it. In one swift motion, Elm brought her boot up, and then kicked the door squarely in its middle. With a loud _clang_ , the door swiveled open, revealing a pitch-black interior. In another smooth motion, Elm brought her rifle up and aimed it inside of the door, slipping through the door silently. She was followed by Clover, then by Harriet.

Blake took a deep breath and held it in her lungs as she watched each of the operators make their way into the building, one by one. Every instinct in her body told her to run, but her mind remained focused as she found herself readying to breach.

Once it was her turn, Blake saw Yang begin marching into the plant, her shotgun raised to the door, and realized that it was her turn to follow Yang in. As she willed her legs forward, she felt the weight of the vest resisting her motion and weighing her down, yet Blake pressed on. Blake struggled to raise her MP5 up to her shoulders and steady it as she, too, trained her ironsight on the door. With one foot already in the doorway, Blake slipped into the darkness of the unknown interior of the meat plant.

Blake immediately felt the crunch of broken glass underneath her shoes as she stepped inside. She heard the same crunching of glass in front of her - undeniably from the Delta operators as they marched on. Blake's eyes rapidly began adjusting to the darkness, and she was able to trace the outlines of her surroundings through the blackness.

It became clear that the 7 of them were inside of a long corridor, without any windows or side rooms. The delta operators were walking at a brisk pace, their rifles firmly raised towards a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

"No movement," cried out Elm.

"Rog'," Clover responded softly.

As Blake and Yang trailed the operators, the sound of broken glass was replaced with the muffled _thudding_ of shoes against the concrete floors as the glass debris began to clear up. With each step, Blake felt the gnawing, queasy feeling inside of her take over the rush of adrenaline she felt when she first breached. Each stride she took towards the bright light at the end of the hallways felt more and more like a step towards death.

As the group got closer to the end of the hallway, it was evident that the light was coming from sunlight from a large, open area within the plant where the ceilings had caved in, and where the windows had been blown out. Blake watched from within the darkness as the operators stepped out into the light and instantly began scanning left and right, their rifles aimed and ready.

"Check your corners," Clover whispered, "stay alert."

Blake saw Yang turn around to check that Blake was still on her rear. Shooting Blake a reassuring glance, Yang nodded, and then stepped out into the light, her shotgun propped on her shoulders. Blake pursed her lips, and quickly followed.

Blake had to shield her eyes as she stepped back out into the open, as rays from the sun hit her eyes. Once she adjusted to the brightness again, Blake began to take in the shape of the room, which was as large as a soccer field. The room remained completely empty, sans some debris that had fallen from the collapsed roof and formed little pyramids of rubble. On the left and right hand sides of the room, large balconies with covered, steel guardrails traversed the sides of the room. Tiny catwalks criss-crossed between them, creating a network of walk paths above the room. The entire area smelled moldy and rotten, and asides from the marching of shoes from the group, there wasn't a sound to be heard.

"Check those catwalks," Clover called out.

Almost immediately after Clover finished talking, the sound of bits of rubble hitting the ground pierced through the silence of the room. Blake snapped her gun behind her on instinct, her eyes wide with fear as she searched for the sound of the voice. The sound of clicking and shuffling behind her indicated that the rest of the team had done the same.

"What was that?" Marrow softly called out.

 _Clack!_ Another piece of rubble fell to the side of the group.

"Alright," Clover said, "Fan out-"

Clover didn't get to finish his sentence. Almost simultaneously, the room began to roar to life with movement, as shadowy figures in the catwalks and balconies all began to stand up from the cover of the guardrails. At the same time, the sound of guns being racked and aimed straight at the group of 7 on the ground below echoed throughout the room.

"Don't move!" cried out a voice from above Blake. "Drop your fuckin' weapons!"

Blake's eyes shot straight open as she quickly saw that almost all areas of the catwalks were now populated with windbreaker-wearing, masked gunmen - all of them shouting.

"Drop the gun!"

"Don't move!"

"Shit!" Harriet cried out as she scrambled to a piece of rubble for cover. Sensing the rest of the group doing the same, Blake scurried off to a mound of rubble nearby, praying with all her might that they weren't about to be shot at.

"Police!" Clover cried out in response. "Drop your weapons!"

"Fuck you!" cried out a voice from above in response.

A multitude of different voices from the sea of windbreaker-wearing gunmen came pouring down from the catwalks, essentially drowning out the commands from the delta operators for the White Fang to drop their weapons. Blake's eyes darted from one corner of the room to the next, searching frantically for Yang to make sure she was safe. Seeing Yang huddled behind a piece of rubble in front of Blake and to her left, Blake felt a slight wave of relief, before the feeling of being outnumbered quickly brought her back into the situation.

"Clove," Marrow called out, "what the fuck do we do?"

"Do _not_ open fire!" Clover replied over the frantic shouting. "Just take cover!"

Blake felt her body suddenly go numb with ecstatic fear, as she felt her head begin to spin with wooziness. Her heart was practically beating out of her chest, and she felt her legs begin to wobble.

 _Oh my god,_ Blake thought to herself, _this is it, isn't it? This is how I'm going to die?_

"We'll fucking shoot you!" cried out a voice from above. "Guns down!"

"Show me your hands!"

"Put your fuckin hands-"

"ENOUGH!"

Blake froze. The command came out loud, yet resolute, echoing off all the walls in the room. Blake snapped her head from where the deafening cry came out from, which was the catwalk that was practically square in front of her. Everyone had ceased shouting, even the delta operators, as everyone's eyes fell on the same catwalk that Blake was peering at.

Blake saw a figure emerge from the shadows of the catwalk. As her eyes focused and she began to realize just who the voice belonged to, she felt as if she was about to crawl out of her skin.

The black overcoat, the red hair, the unmistakable bullhorns on top of his hand - from the features of the imposing figure looming over the room, it was clear that any hope Blake had that she wouldn't have to face Adam was currently out the window. Adam smirked, and then craned his head towards the delta operators, each of them cowering behind different pieces of debris.

"You know," Adam's voice boomed, "this used to be a slaughterhouse, before Mountain Glenn went to the dogs. Lots of pigs used to be slaughtered here."

A sickening grin crept across Adam's face.

"Am I going to have to slaughter more pigs here today?" Adam teased.

"Adam Taurus," Clover returned, firm and unfazed, "you're under arrest. Put your hands up and come down here at once, peacefully."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ebi," Adam said, "but I must refuse. I'm afraid that the grounds on which the arrest warrants served against me stand are shaky at best, and I refuse to acknowledge or honor such mockeries."

"Oh yeah?" Clover replied, with arched eyebrows. "Why don't you come down here, and we can go see how bullshit the warrants really are at the police station? We'll have all the time to look there."

"That won't be necessary," Adam said, "given that I already know exactly what the arrest warrants say. In fact, I know what all the documents served against the White Fang say."

"And how do you know that?" Clover questioned.

"Well, you can thank the VKPD for that," Adam boasted. "They've been gracious enough to leave just enough vulnerable for us to get our hands on all the information and warrants they serve on our people. We likely knew that a raid was coming before even you did."

Out of the corner of her eyes, Blake saw Harriet shoot her a look of disdain.

"Lots of interesting information in those warrants," Adam continued, "especially the name of the detective that submitted them in the first place."

Blake froze, and her eyes darted towards Yang. Blake saw that Yang was similarly petrified with fear.

"Yang Xiao Long…" Adam teased. "...what an interesting, interesting name. Usually, when we get trouble from a VKPD detective, it's from those two simpletons in the Organized Crime Unit...but I don't think we've ever crossed paths before."

Adam paused.

"I know you're here, Ms. Xiao Long," Adam spat. "I'd very much appreciate it if we could parlay, like adults."

Blake saw Yang shake her head and purse her lips, before stepping out from her cover, her gun still raised towards Adam. The line of gunmen on the catwalks instinctively flinched as they saw Yang with a gun raised, however, a nonchalant raised hand from Adam pacified the gunmen.

"I'm here, asshole," Yang shouted. "What do you want from me?"

"To parlay, as I've said," Adam said, in a superficially-kind tone. "I must admit, Ms. Xiao Long, I actually have heard your name before...Raven Branwen wouldn't happen to be your mother, would she?"

"She gave birth to me, sure," Yang growled. "I wouldn't go so far as to call her a mother, though."

Adam smirked.

"I can see the resemblance, in your tone," Adam sneered. "However, I'd say that your prickly nature is where your similarities to your mother ends."

"How exactly am I different from my mother?" Yang growled.

"Your mother is smart, crafty, cunning…" Adam preached, "...you, on the other hand...you just walked into a building full of dangerous criminals - knowing full well of who we are - and expected me to simply surrender, because you commanded us to do so on some piece of paper."

Yang scoffed.

"So you think I'm fuckin' stupid," Yang brashly replied. "That's fine. You know, you might even be right. In fact...I'm so fuckin' stupid, that I'm not gonna take no for an answer. So when I tell you that you better drag your ass down here right now and come with us for questioning, you better know that I'm not just talking shit."

Adam stared back at Yang with disbelief, before he broke out with snickers. The rest of the gunmen on the catwalk joined in the laughter, chuckling slightly.

"Alright, then," Adam said. "Let's say I were to humor your outrageous request and surrender myself. Even if any of you were able to leave this building alive with me, I'm sure that the next place you'd bring me to is the holding cells in Mountain Glenn's Police Department. I have over 100 soldiers in the Mountain Glenn area, and you would best believe that it would take less than an hour for them to overtake the officers in the building and to free me from that cell. And even if that didn't happen, and I was somehow successfully extradited to some maximum security prison in Vale or Atlas, I wouldn't be in there for longer than a week."

"And why's that?" Yang questioned.

"Because I will rain Hell down onto the civilized world," Adam boasted. "It'll be a terror campaign like none have ever seen. Political assassinations - from the local alderman, to the presidents of kingdoms. Bombings in train stations, concerts, schoolyards, hospitals. Mass shootings in airports and political rallies. Cyberwarfare to bring the global economy into a new depression. Radicalized, bloody guerilla warfare against police and military forces across the third worlds, where anger thrives."

"We've done it before, and we can do it again, on a global scale," Adam spat. "We have the money and resources to do so. We just need you to light the fuse, Miss Xiao Long."

Adam scoffed.

"I'm sure that's not what you would want as an outcome from all of this, would it, Miss Xiao Long?" Adam said. "If I was in your position, I sure wouldn't want to touch off another decade of guerilla conflict with the Faunus, just because you were looking for information about a dead jeweller."

Blake saw Yang's body tense up upon the realization that Adam truly does know everything about her warrants.

"That _is_ why you're here in the first place, correct?" Adam said.

"...yeah," Yang croaked, before quickly regaining her composure. "Yeah, it is."

"Care to explain why we've been targeted as a result of that investigation, Detective?" Adam goaded.

"Come on," Yang said, "it's no secret that you guys were the ones who killed Torchwick. The scene of the crime fits your guys' MO."

"So it fits our MO..." Adam said, "...do you even have a possible motive as to why we might've killed Mr. Torchwick, though?"

"That's what I'm hoping to find out," Yang said flatly. Adam simply laughed in response.

"I'll tell you," Adam stated. "Our motive for killing Torchwick...was no motive at all. We do not have one, because we didn't kill Torchwick."

Blake's brows furrowed.

"I can sense your doubt, Detective, so I'll square away any uncertainty you may have right now," Adam said, before reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a tiny walkie talkie.

"Bring her out," Adam said softly, into the walkie talkie.

Within a second, the sound of loud metal clanging could be heard, at ground level. All of the operators, including Blake and Yang, instantly snapped their weapon's sights towards the source of the sound, which was a set of steel double doors at the far end of the room. Two figures emerged from the doorway. As Blake's eyes narrowed to get a better look at the figures, she felt herself instinctively lower her weapon.

The figure on Blake's left was a woman wearing a windbreaker, but was wearing a bandana to conceal her face. Even then, all Blake could focus on was her brunette hair tied up into a ponytail, the freckles just under her light-blue eyes, which burned with a certain intensity that Blake instantly recognized as Ilia's.

The other figure was also a young woman who wore a windbreaker, but standing next to a cool, composed Ilia made her appear like the polar opposite to her. The woman had blue-grey hair, and a face splattered with blood. The woman's eyes were rolled into the back of her head, and her mouth would sometimes twitch, blood gurgling out of her mouth. Black, sickly veins crept across her pale-white skin. Her wrists and legs were shackled, and the steel chains rattled with each hobble that the woman took. The woman's hands were wrapped in large bandages, making it appear like one large, clothed ball instead. From outward appearances, it looked like Ilia was dragging this catatonic woman along, almost like a dog.

"What the fuck?" Yang softly muttered in shock, as Ilia and the shackled woman lumbered into the middle of the floor. Upon closer inspection, Blake could clearly see that Ilia held a bayonet in her left hand, poised to stab the woman in her throat at a moment's notice.

"This is Trifa," Adam said. "She's the one responsible for the murders you're trying to solve, Detective."

A great feeling of confusion swept across Blake. Wasn't Ilia the one who was responsible for Torchwick's death?

"Trifa was a low-standing member within our ranks," Adam explained. "She became aware over a small business dispute between the White Fang and Mr. Torchwick that I was hoping to resolve peacefully. Desperate to please me and make a name for herself, Trifa decided to kill Mr. Torchwick in a fashion that would signify that it was a White Fang hit, so as to ward off any future opposition."

"Despite any misgivings I had about Mr. Torchwick and the way that he carried out his business, I would never resort to such acts of violence against a businessman of his standing," Adam said. "Once Trifa found out that I wouldn't be tolerating such brash, unapproved actions within my ranks, she fled."

"Why's it look like you guys stuck her through a meat grinder?" Yang pressed. Adam simply scoffed in response.

"We didn't do anything to her," Adam responded. "You see, Trifa felt it was appropriate to punish herself for her actions. To ensure she wouldn't carry out any more acts of violence, she cut off her fingertips. To ensure she would never speak in place of the White Fang's stead again, she cut off her tongue."

"So you're telling me that this lady cut out the only ways that could physically link her to the crime, all on her own accord, and that's how you guys found her?" Yang scoffed. "I know you think I'm a fuckin' moron, but I'd appreciate if you didn't insult my intelligence with such a shit-faced lie."

"Believe it or not, Miss Xiao Long - everything that I've said is the truth," Adam said. "If you cannot accept it, I'm sure there are other detectives here that might be able to."

Blake then found herself staring eye-to-eye with Adam. Even while he was perched far away atop the catwalk, and behind the guise of his mask, Blake could tell by the way that his mouth curved into a grotesque grin that Adam was requesting Blake to campaign for his lies.

"I offer Trifa as an olive branch - not just to the VKPD and Mr. Torchwick's associates, but to you and your investigation personally, Detective Xiao Long," Adam said. "Her actions reflect solely on herself, and not on the White Fang. I only ask that you pursue your investigations in a likewise manner, and allow the White Fang to remain unperturbed."

"Nah," Yang scoffed. "No fucking way. You gotta be fuckin' crazy if you think I'm gonna accept this bullshit."

"Miss Xiao Long…" Adam cooed, "...like I said, this is an olive branch that I'm offering to you. Would you prefer conflict instead?"

"I'd prefer you cut the fucking games and bullshit, and you start giving me some truth," Yang said. "Either give me the person who actually murdered Torchwick, or things are going to get real fuckin' ugly."

Adam paused, and then shrugged.

"Well, have it your way," Adam said. "Shoot them."

Almost instantaneously, Blake watched as all the gunmen on the catwalk raised their rifles towards her and the rest of the group.

"Wait, wait, wait!" shouted Clover from across the room. "Don't shoot. We'll take the perp."

Yang snapped their head towards Clover.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Yang cried out.

"I'm not getting my team killed over your bullshit warrants and because you wanted to play hard-ass at the wrong end of a gun," Clover spat, before turning back towards Adam. "We're taking the perp and leaving-"

"Fuck you, we're not going anywhere," Yang quickly said, shutting down Clover.

"Xiao Long," Clover barked, "you're not in control here."

"I got tactical fucking command of this op!" Yang responded. "If your fuckin' team leaves, it'll be your ass I have next-"

"Yang!" Blake shouted at the top of her lungs.

Blake didn't even realize she'd called out Yang's name until after the fact. It was almost like she was on autopilot, acting on instinct to prevent Yang from digging herself into a deeper hole. Blake saw Yang turn her gaze towards her, shock on her face upon hearing Blake's voice for the first time since they stepped into the plant.

"No one needs to die today," Blake said, softly yet resolute. " _You_ don't need to die today."

Yang's brow furrowed.

"Blake-"

"Take the girl," Blake said.

Yang froze, and, finally calmed down, nodded defeatedly. Blake observed as Yang then lowered her shotgun, and marched up to Ilia and the bloodied Trifa. With a forceful yank, Yang grabbed Trifa from out of Ilia's clutches. Before dragging Trifa away, Yang took a second to shoot one last venomous look towards Ilia; Ilia returning her gaze with a violent look of her own.

"Let's go!" Yang shouted. All of the delta operators immediately left their covers, rifles still raised towards the gunmen on the catwalks, as they began to backpedal towards the hallway. Yang strode up to Blake, Trifa still in tow.

"Take her," Yang bruntly said. Blake shifted her MP5 into her left arm, and then grabbed ahold of Trifa with her right, marching her along.

Blake grabbed ahold of Trifa's arms, her skin feeling icy-cold against Blake's fingertips. Lifting Trifa up was heavy, and it was hard to guide Trifa along as she stumbled around at turtle's pace. As Blake looked towards Trifa, she saw that her eyes were now staring straight back at Blake, pupils erratically bouncing around.

"Buh…" Trifa gurgled. "Bla...Blake-"

"Shh!" Blake said, pressing her pointer finger onto Trifa's lips. It was clear that Trifa had recognized her, but Blake couldn't have her accidentally revealing that to the rest of the group in her catatonic state.

Blake withdrew her finger, and stared down at it. Her pointer finger was smudged crimson red, and a droplet of Trifa's blood began to trickle down the length of the finger.

Still marching towards the exit, Blake craned her head backwards before she slipped back into the darkness of the corridor they came from. While Ilia shot a hardened, feral glance at Blake, she saw that right above her on the catwalk stood Adam, his signature smirk painted on his face.

* * *

Leaning against the driver's side door of the Crown Vic, Yang watched as the ambulance drove away, lights flashing, with Trifa in the back. In the corner of Yang's eye, she spotted Clover fastly approaching, with Marrow in tow.

"I thought you should know that I'm gonna be submitting a formal complaint of today's events to your superiors," Clover said.

"Blow me," Yang quickly returned. "Doesn't fuckin' matter anyways, I'm quitting in two weeks."

Clover scoffed.

"Why am I not surprised?" Clover said.

"What the fuck is your guys' major malfunction?" Yang spat before Clover could walk away. "What made you guys think that we could've gone into that building in the shape we did?"

"Well, before you point fuckin' fingers," Clover said, "why'd you write up a warrant against the White Fang, based on informant reports alone? You know you really stirred up the hornet's nest on this one. The VKPD weren't the only people who were investigating the Fang, and this whole thing just fucked it up for all those other people, too."

"Oh yeah?" Yang said. "What people? Like you guys? Care to share who you guys even are?"

"That's need-to-know, detective," Clover quickly returned, frowning.

"'Need-to-know' my ass," Yang hissed. "You ' _need-to-know'_ you're a fuckin' asshole, Captain-bootfuck-shithead."

Clover simply shrugged Yang's insults off.

"My team is RTB," Clover said. "You tell Ozpin that we did the best we could, given the bad intel and poor tactical command."

Without another word, Clover turned on his heel and began to stride away from Yang. Yang simply spat on the ground in response.

"Dickhead," Yang muttered under her breath.

Yang then turned her view to a few feet down the road. Blake was sitting on the curb of the sidewalk, a cigarette in her mouth. Yang hadn't been able to get a word with Blake since they exited the building and called medical to escort Trifa to the hospital.

Yang walked over to Blake. Blake, sitting on the curb under Yang, took only one short glance up towards Yang, before casting her eyes back off into the distance as she took long drags from her cigarette.

"Hey," Yang said.

Blake said nothing, instead giving Yang the cold shoulder. Yang felt miffed at this small sign of insolence.

"Lemme ask you something," Yang said, in a low voice.

"What?" Blake asked, turning her head up towards Yang.

"Do you actually wanna solve this case?" Yang said with a questioning tone.

Blake paused at Yang's sudden affront, before her face quickly turned to anger.

"What the hell are you trying to say-"

"I'm trying to close this fuckin' case here!" Yang shouted angrily. "We got six, seven people dead, of which only half of them do we actually have a suspect we can tie to them. And I can't even guarantee that this fuckin' Trifa lady isn't just playing the patsy for all this. We could've gotten something out of Taurus today, but now we got nothing."

"How the fuck is that my fault?" Blake replied with hostility.

"You shoulda backed me up in there!" Yang said. "Now we're stuck with some low-level street kid who's gonna take the fall for them!"

"Yang-"

"We are getting played, Blake!" Yang said, shutting Blake down. "This whole time, Adam Taurus has been throwing us off his trail, and now, not only are we unable to solve Torchwick's murder, we can't solve shit-all for the Forever Falls robbery now, too!"

"Well, who the fuck's fault is that?" Blake shot back. "If you would've filled me in to begin with, I would've told you that the White Fang would've done something like this if you backed them into a corner, like you did. We could've coordinated something, but now we gotta roll with what we got, and just pray for the best."

"Oh, fuck off!" Yang shouted. "It's you're goddamn fault that you can't keep up-"

"Yang, you gave us no other option!" Blake said, now standing up. "You were gonna get us all fuckin' killed if you didn't stop! I had to make a move. You might be okay with dying, but I sure as fuck ain't!"

Blake glared intently at Yang, exposing the anger inside her that Yang had only seen a handful of time before, which made her shudder internally.

"Look, I don't even know why the fuck we were here in the first place," Blake said, shaking her head. "Maybe if you would have cut me some slack and filled me in, I would've had an easier time helping you out in there."

Yang pursed her lips, and stared down at her feet. Yang knew that if she had kept Blake up-to-date with information, maybe things might've gone differently. But how was she supposed to tell her that she wasn't sharing any information with Blake because, quite frankly, Yang didn't trust her?

"Yang," Blake said in a hush, "you wanna tell me why we're here?"

Yang sighed.

"I got a few tips saying that the manner that Torchwick's body was left was the MO of the White Fang." Yang said. "One of the most solid tips came from my mother. She said that the White Fang has been making some moves behind the scenes. Apparently, Torchwick was approached by some bookie named Tukson about information regarding the Forever Falls robbery-"

"Tukson?" Blake said, bewildered. "Who the hell is Tukson? I've never heard of this guy before. What the fuck does any of this have to do with what happened today?."

"I-"

"Look, Yang," Blake said, rubbing her temples, "doesn't this seem all a little suspicious to you?"

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

"I mean…" Blake said, before pausing. "...I mean, how does your mother supposedly know so much about the White Fang, when she specifically told us she wouldn't go anywhere near them to begin with?"

"You saying my mom was lying?" Yang said.

"I don't know for sure," Blake said, "but would you really put that past your mother?"

Yang paused, and then grimaced.

"...no," Yang said. "You're right. But...why would she lie?"

"Who knows," Blake said. "Maybe your mom secretly does have a feud with the White Fang, maybe she's trying to edge out the competition. Her motive's not important. What is important is that she tried to pit us against the White Fang - who she certainly knew aren't the most stable of people. In fact, I bet she was banking on us getting killed during some raid like today. You ask me, Yang, it's your mom that's hiding something. _Not_ the White Fang."

Yang shook her head.

"Blake, I dunno...there's a lot I'm not sure of in what you just said-"

"Maybe there is," Blake responded, resolute, "maybe Raven really does have nothing to hide, and everything I said is just bullshit. Everything I told you is no more speculation than what she told you about the White Fang. But it's pretty obvious that we hit the end of the road with trying to extract any information from the White Fang, so we need to turn to the only other possible lead - your mother."

Yang paused, and then stared down at her shoes.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow," Yang said dejectedly.

"Maybe I better come with this time," Blake said. "You know where she is?"

"905 W Fremont, along the river," Yang solemnly said. "She's in the penthouse suite."

Blake pursed her lips, and then nodded.

* * *

_YXL: She lied to me. [Scoffs] There's no two ways about it. I put her faith in me, and she played me like a fiddle. I let my guard down, put my trust in what she said, and I ate it up. The saddest part was that all of this was my fault - all because I wanted to believe that Blake was different from the rest, that I could trust her._

* * *

_BB: I'm not proud of what I've done. But what other option did I have? For starters, this was the closest Yang had ever gotten to the Fang. That couldn't happen - both for the White Fang's sake and for her's. I needed to steer her away from them, and after she told me it was her mother who started all of this, I just worked with what I had and turned Yang against her. And, if you ask me, Yang wasn't blameless herself - if she hadn't been keeping things from me, I wouldn't have been put in the situation that I had to lie to her in the first place._

_NV: ...that's pretty fuckin' vacant, you know that?_

_BB: What?_

_NV: Saying Yang was to blame for your lies._

_LR: Nora-_

_BB: Look, like I said - I didn't have a choice-_

_NV: Nah, nah, I don't need to hear your rationalizations. I know what you're trying to do. You got to shift accountability from yourself, cause you can't live with the guilt. So you just pin all your wrongdoings on the person that's most convenient. As long as it's not you. You know, you ask me, that seems like a move that someone else that you know pretty well would do._

_BB: ...You trying to say that I'm like Adam, just because I refuse to take the blame for other people's fuckups?_

_NV: Maybe you are like him. Maybe you aren't. But all I'd say is that if I was in your position right now, you could've at least done the decent thing and admit some fault here. Especially for all the people who got hurt after you lied._

* * *

Blake shuffled down the hallway of the 12th floor of her apartment building. By the time she reached the door of her unit, she let out a deep sigh, and then gently shoved the key into the lock, turning it with a _click_ , and then softly opening the door.

Night had fallen over the city, and Blake was drained from the day's whirlwind of events. As Blake breathed in the familiar, stale air of her apartment, she still couldn't believe the fleeting highs and manic lows that she had gone through in a span of 16 hours.

The light from the apartment building's hallway emanated a sliver of light through the doorway, into the otherwise pitch-black room. Blake gently closed the door behind her and let out an exhausted groan.

Now in the comfort of complete darkness, Blake slipped out of her suit jacket and threw it onto a nearby stool. Blake reached towards her right waistband and removed the badge and holstered Glock that hung from it, then gently set it down on the marble countertop of her kitchen. It was still hard to believe that earlier in the same day, she had felt so peaceful and warm with Yang as they ate breakfast. Now, Blake would spend another night alone - likely without sleep,

Blake's eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she walked over to her bedroom. As she swung the door open and flicked on the lights of her bedroom, ready to lay in her bed, her eyes rapidly adjust to the light again. Once Blake got a clear view of the room, though, she felt like she was about to jump out of her own skin.

Seated on her bed was none other than Adam. Standing next to the bed was a large, bulky man, clad in a windbreaker, with a white mask on his face.

"Jesus, Fuck!" Blake said, as she instinctively leapt backwards, plastering herself against the wall. Adam simply scoffed, and then stood up from the bed.

"I hope you don't mind, we let ourselves in," Adam crooned. "Blake, this is Banesaw."

Blake, a look of pure shock and terror on her face, slowly lifted herself off the wall. Adam had a look of sly amusement, while Banesaw's true emotions remained hidden under his mask. From the way that he stood taciturn and still like a golem, with arms folded, however, Blake could tell that whoever this "Banesaw" man is, he definitely was not in a friendly mood.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Blake asked. "And who is he?"

"Banesaw accompanied me here in case I needed protection," Adam flatly said.

"Why would you need protection?" Blake said.

"Because of you," Adam said smugly.

Blake's stomach began to swirl. She now understood why Adam was here - he was out for Blake's blood for today's raid.

"What's he...gonna do?" Blake nervously asked.

"Depends on your answers," Adam said.

"Quite a show the police put on today," Adam said. "No less than 3 agencies must've been involved. I wonder how it came to all this."

"Adam, I had nothing to do with it," Blake pleaded. "I didn't find out myself until it was too late. My-my partner, she went behind my back, and-"

"Yang Xiao Long," Adam teased. "Ilia told me about her. About a week before, actually. She only found out because you told her. Did you know that Raven Branwen is her mother?"

Blake froze.

"I…"

"I know you know," Adam said. "I also know that Raven Branwen was the one who gave the tip for the raid."

"You know, it really feels like I can't trust anyone these days," Adam lamented. "Can I still trust _you_ , Blake?"

Blake paused, and then softly nodded. Adam's sickly grin crept across his face in response.

"I'm willing to let today's bygones be bygones...only if you tell me where Raven Branwen is," Adam said.

Blake felt herself being torn apart at the seams. She knew Raven's address, and the hulking maniac that Adam had at his side seemed like motivation enough to her to tell him the truth. Still, though - Blake knew what would happen if she told Adam where she was. Could she really do that to Yang?

"I…" Blake stammered. "...I don't know where she is. I got no idea."

Adam stood silent for what felt like an eternity, before he scoffed, and then stood up.

"Very well, Blake," Adam cooed.

Blake watched, petrified, as Adam and Banesaw both got up from the bed, and then drifted past her. Her body uncontrollably trembling, Blake stood frozen in the room until she heard the door of her apartment slamming shut as Adam and Banesaw exited.

* * *

Sitting in her car in the parking lot, Yang could feel herself growing more and more pissed the longer she stared at her mother's apartment building.

For starters, Yang was pissed at how nice the building looked. It wasn't as nice as the one she used to have with Weiss, but it sure wasn't far off in terms of its sleek, post-modern exterior, covered with glossy windows and a mod architecture style. A riverfront property like this must've cost a pretty penny, and there was no doubt in Yang's mind that Raven didn't get the money to buy this place with the profits from the quarry alone.

Deep down, though, Yang had a lot more to be mad about. Asides from the fact that the investigation into the van robberies had gone practically nowhere, Yang now has to deal with the fact that she truly doesn't know how to feel about her own partner. Yang knew Blake was a mystery, sure, but she didn't know she'd have to question her motives as well. Why, at times, does it seem like Blake wants all in with solving this case, while at others, it seems like she's practically standing in Yang's way? Yang wanted nothing more but to tell Blake that it was her way, or the highway. She knew that only she could crack this case, and she sure as hell wasn't gonna let Blake stop that.

Yang grimaced, and then opened the car door. The minute her feet hit pavement, she slammed the door shut behind her, and then began climbing up the concrete stairs to the apartment.

Yang approached the glass front doors to the building and opened it, letting herself into the foyer of the building. The lobby was spacious, and lined with black granite walls with wooden panels. A sleek, futuristic light fixture hung above the room. In the middle, next to the elevators and stairway, stood a desk. Behind it, Yang could see an old Faunus man with antlers coming out of his head, clad in a green cashmere sweatshirt and spectacles. The man was glued to his phone, furiously swiping away at some game.

" _Sweet!_ " The game's announcer buzzed from the old man's phone.

"You a visitor?" the old man said, without even looking up from his phone. "Who you here to see?"

"Yeah, uh…" Yang said, before trailing off.

Yang knew her mother. If she had really been playing and setting up Yang, she'd probably bolt if she heard Yang was coming. Yang sighed, and then took out her badge.

"Look," Yang said, handing the guard her badge, "I'm with the VKPD. I gotta see one of the tenants of this building, and I just need you to buzz me in to the building-"

"You got a warrant?" the old man said.

"Wha-no?" Yang replied, confused. "Look, I'm not raiding anything, I just need to visit somebody up there, do you mind if you could just let me in?"

"Who?" the old man bruntly replied.

Yang pursed her lips.

"Lady, I need to know who you're visiting, and I need to buzz them over the intercom and ask them if you can come in first before I can let you up," the old man said. "So, I'll ask ya again - who you visiting?"

Yang sighed.

"Raven Branwen," Yang said. "I don't know what unit she's in, but could you not buzz her-"

Before Yang could finish her thought, the old man had pressed down on a button in front of him, letting out a harsh buzzing noise over the intercom.

"Ms. Branwen, some lady here says she's police," the old man said. "Says she needs to talk to ya. Ya want me to buzz her in, in the lobby here?"

Yang grimaced. The old man waited a whole 10 seconds, before he buzzed the intercom again.

"Ms. Branwen?" The old man croaked again.

Silence. Yang stuck her tongue in her cheek, and then raised her right hand to massage her temples while simultaneously holding back curses for the old man.

"She ain't answerin'," the old man simply responded.

"Well, no kiddin', old man," Yang said. "You probably scared her when you said 'police'."

"Listen, Lady," the old man grunted, "why don't you come back with an official warrant or something-"

"Jesus Christ," Yang muttered forcefully, "I already told you, man - I'm not here to break down anybody's door. I'm just trying to see Raven Branwen. I shouldn't need a warrant to go see her."

"Yeah, well, rules are rules," the old man snided. "If it weren't for the rules, just about anybody could just enter, all Willy-nilly."

Yang stared at the stubborn, little old man behind the desk, and then groaned in disbelief.

"Alright, listen closely, old man," Yang said in a low, intense tone. "You keep telling me to get a warrant - I can absolutely do that, no problem. But when I do, I'm gonna get 10-20 uniforms in here, and I'm gonna have them all crowd around in the lobby, flipping over every piece of furniture in sight. It's gonna be a circus, and your tenants are gonna notice. And when they do, I'm gonna make sure they know we're here all because you wanted to play hardass. So, ask yourself - is all that commotion worth it?"

The old man stood in place, his mouth ajar and his eyes narrowing into tiny slits, before his mouth curved into a frown.

"What do you want?" the old man asked.

"Just let me up there to check," Yang said. "5 minutes. I'll go up to her unit and check. If she's really not there, I'll come straight down. You got my word."

The old man paused for a second, then defeatedly shook his head. Turning his gaze down to the panel in front of him, the old man pressed a button in front of him, which lead to a loud buzzing noise to emanate from the red door to the stairway entrance, followed by the sound of the door's locks unlatching.

* * *

"Elevator's out," the old man spat. "Take the stairs."

Yang rolled her eyes as she approached the red door and heaved it open with a shove.

The walk up Raven's apartment was exhausting, to say the least. Yang was thankful that Raven's unit was only on the 5th floor, because by the time she had reached the landing in the stairway with a bit "5" scrawled into the walls, she felt like her lungs were burning and her legs were about to fall off.

Yang opened the door to the floor's hallway, which was brightly lit and spacious, with pastel-colored walls and dark-green carpeting. Taking a look at the numberings on the nearest unit, Yang found that she was outside unit 540 from the stairway entrance, and began marching along, headed towards her mother's apartment after passing 539, 538, 537…

By the time Yang was outside unit 533, she didn't know what to expect. Maybe her mother was really inside there. Maybe she'd have a good excuse waiting for Yang, as to why she'd been stringing her and Blake along this whole time. Or, maybe, she was waiting behind the door with a .45 aimed at it.

Yang took a deep breath, and then knocked, rapping three times on the door.

"Mom, it's me," Yang called out. No answer. Yang knocked again, waited 5 seconds, and received no response again.

Yang groaned in frustration, and then glanced down at the doorknob. Pursing her lips, Yang brought her right hand up to the doorknob, and gave it a twist. To Yang's surprise, the doorknob turned, signifying it was unlocked. Yang's brow furrowed, and she slowly opened the door.

As the door slowly creaked open, Yang quickly scoured the interior of the apartment. Yang had to admit, Raven's apartment was sleek, with modern-looking furniture and a window overlooking the river that sprawled from the ceiling to the floor. Still, Yang could tell the apartment was completely empty, which she confirmed with a quick walkaround in Raven's apartment

Yang sighed, and then shut the door behind her as she stepped back out into the hallway. If Raven was here in the first place, she certainly wasn't here now. Yang looked at the far end of the hallway, opposite from where she had come up, and saw another red door that must lead out to another, separate stairway. Yang pursed her lips.

 _She could've easily taken that stairway down and fled, while I was coming up_ , Yang thought to herself. Yang groaned, and then shook her head. A feeling of disappointment, Yang slunk her way back to the stairway and placed her left hand on the door's handle, ready to walk back down to the lobby.

_Thud! Thud! Thud!_

Yang froze, eyes wide open, and perked up her ears. That sounded like it was coming from outside the building.

_Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!_

"Oh, fuck!" Yang muttered, as she ripped open the door to the stairway, and unholstered her Model 10 in the other.

There was no doubt in her mind that those were gunshots. From who, Yang wasn't sure - but that wasn't important now. What was important was getting down the stairs and finding out what the hell was going on outside.

Yang felt her lungs burning up again as she quickly paced down the stairs, her thighs burning with each stride.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Yang muttered to herself as she passed the third floor's landing, her revolver clenched tight in her right hand.

By the time Yang had reached the bottom flight of stairs, she practically leapt over the last two steps as she bounded towards the red door leading out to the lobby, and threw it open.

Yang quickly raised her pistol as she slid through the door, ironsights squarely aligned in front of her. It only took a quick second for Yang to assess the lobby was clear. Outside the glass front door of the lobby, Yang spotted a civilian running by in a blur, undoubtedly fleeing from the gunshots.

Yang quickly turned her eyes towards the reception desk. The chair behind the desk was tipped over, and splayed out on the ground behind the desk was the old man, face down on the ground and still as a rock. A pool of blood was beginning to grow around his head.

_Thud! Thud!_

Two more gunshots jolted Yang's attention outside the door of the apartment. From the sounds of it, it seemed like the gunshots were coming from out of the lobby's door and to the right. Yang darted to the glass door, then shifted her gun to her right hand as she reached out with her left hand towards the door's handle and flung the door open.

Yang felt her legs moving on autopilot as she bolted down the small concrete flight of stairs leading up to the building's entrance outside. Yang craned her head to the right, peering down the street and finding it empty, save for a few fleeing civilians from across the street.

_Pop!_

Another gunshot caused Yang to instinctively flinch and then raise her revolver back into a two-handed grip as she peered around for a shooter. From the register of the sound, it seemed like the gunshot was coming from the uncovered parking lot next to the building, just up the sidewalk and around the corner.

"Shit," Yang muttered, as she felt the sole of her shoes meet the pavement of the sidewalk, and began darting towards the parking lot, her pistol resting firmly in her hands.

Yang made it to the drive-in entrance of the parking lot when she spotted three blurry figures congregating in front of a blue-colored sedan. Yang instinctively raised her revolver towards the three as she charged towards them, ironsights aligned towards them, when the figures began to come more in focus.

Yang instantly picked out her mother as the middle against the car, in between two figures in windbreakers. The figure on her mother's right had their hood up, while the figure on her mother's left was wearing a black bandana and sunglasses, but her tan complexion, freckles and brunette ponytail was still showing.

As Yang got closer, she paused in her tracks in shock. Yang could clearly see her mother writhing in pain. Her head was tilted back and her eyes were painfully shut close, while she bared her teeth, glowing crimson-red from being stained with blood. A small trickle of blood poured out of the corner of Raven's mouth.

Yang watched as the brunette assailant raise her left hand, and press something steely and grey against her mother's stomach.

_Pop! Pop!_

Yang watched as a flash, and a spurt of blood explode from her mother, where the brunette had raised her left hand to. Raven yelped, and then slid down the car until she was on the ground, smearing a trail of blood on the side of the car while doing so.

Yang felt as if her heart had stopped beating, at that exact moment.

Yang raised her pistol at the two standing, windbreaker-clad figures.

"FREEZE!" Yang shrieked, at the top of her lungs. The two figures instantly turned around at Yang, and froze in their tracks.

Yang saw the hooded figure reach behind them, towards their waistband. In a motion as natural to her as walking, Yang snapped her sights towards the hooded figure and then pull the steel trigger of her gun with her pointer finger.

_Bang!_

"Auegh!" the hooded figure shrieked. A puff of smoke burst out of the figure's chest, sending their body recoiling back into the car, spraying blood over it's windows and hood. The figure then crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes, their gun clattering off.

Yang snapped her sights towards the brunette one. Yang watched as she darted off towards Yang's right while simultaneously letting her gun drop to the pavement.

"Hey!" Yang shouted, as she quickly broke into a sprint towards the brunette gunwoman. Yang already felt the distance between them growing as she watched the assailant pump her legs in long, gallant strides across the the blacktop of the parking lot. Yang felt herself do the same, pushing every ounce of energy in her towards her calves as she struggled to push herself forward

An old, beat-up Cadillac suddenly pulled up in front of the gunwoman, nearly flattening her if she had been two seconds faster. The gunwoman nimbly slid across the hood of the car and abruptly darted left, leaving the driver of the car visibly shocked.

"Fuck," Yang muttered, as she quickly juked to the right to move her path around the car.

The gunwoman had navigated her way out of view of Yang, hidden behind large parked vans by the time Yang had gotten around the car. Once Yang got to the same aisle that the gunwoman had run to, she found herself face-to-face with the same gunwoman, roaring towards her with a sports bike.

"Aueh!" Yang shouted as she quickly dove headfirst to her right, the wind and loose pebbles kicked up by the bike passing hitting her face. Yang shielded herself, then scrambled to her feet, and quickly picked out the gunwoman, who was already out of the parking lot and screaming down the street, the buzz of the bike's engine growing dimmer and dimmer, Yang raised her gun to fire, but quickly spotted fleeing civilians in the background, way too close to Yang's line of fire.

"Fuck!" Yang shouted, as she lowered her gun. Yang took a second to bend over, quickly catching her breath, when she remembered the sight of her mother, bloodied up and crumpled over against the car.

"Ma. Mom!" Yang shouted, as she quickly darted back towards the scene of the shooting.

Yang stopped in her tracks as she stopped in front of the carnage near the blue sedan. Raven was curled up in a fetal position, her white suit shirt almost entirely soaked crimson-red at this point, and a viscous pool of blood was growing around her. To the side, the motionless body of the assailant that Yang shot also laid in a pool of blood.

"Oh, shit," Yang muttered as she practically leapt to the side of her mother and knelt down to her. Raven's eyes were shut close, and her face was speckled with little droplets of blood.

Yang could practically feel the fear coursing in her veins as she scrambled to come up with what to do next. Yang instinctively put her hands hovering in front of Raven's bloodstained, agape mouth. The warm, damp sensation of a breath danced across Yang's figure.

Yang felt a tidal wave of relief surge across her body. Raven was still breathing.

"Okay, okay," Yang panted. Yang gently slid her hands under her mother's armpits, and then hoisted her upper body off the ground.

"...aaaAAAAEUGH!" Raven let out in a bloodcurdling scream, her face snarled in pain. Blood began to dribble out of three bullet wounds in her abdomen as Yang rested the back of Raven's head against the side of the car.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Yang hurriedly muttered as she quickly grabbed ahold of Raven's hands and placed them on her wounds. "Look, I need you to apply pressure, okay?"

Raven's only response was to shake her head limply, and to begin muttering at a volume barely at whispering level.

"Hey, hey," Yang barked, while gingerly and softly slapping her mom's face. "I need you to stay with me, okay?"

Raven said nothing, her chest rising and falling with wet, struggling wheezes.

"S...Su…" Raven mumbled, before her head lolled off to the side.

"Shit," Yang hissed, before she leapt back up to her feet and then turned her gaze to her Crown Vic, parked conveniently only a few aisles over. Yang began dashing towards the driver's side of the car, and then flung it open. Her hand, stained with blood, instantly reached out for the radio attached to the police transponder sitting on the center console, smearing crimson-red all over it.

Yang clicked the transmit button, hearing the quick crackle of static to know she was live.

"Dispatch, this is 502," Yang sputtered. "I-I need medical, at 905 W. Fremont, for a mid-50s female, with three gunshot wounds to her abdomen…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus begins another months-long hiatus :/. Thanks to all the readers who've been patient with my absences and for taking the time out to read my story. All the support on this story has really been I'll be back soon enough, I promise


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